Roles Reversed
by 08trekker
Summary: After centuries of watching from above, I, King Arthur of Camelot, had returned. However, I suddenly found myself in a difficult position as I had to adapt to modern times and get through high school, all while searching for Merlin. He must have erased his too-painful memories, and now it was my duty to find him and remind him who he was. This is the story of my search for Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**Well, this was certainly a change. I'd watched this for the last hundred or two years, but, never having experienced it firsthand, I had never quite grasped its complexities. Now, standing in front of Springfield High School, I took a deep breath, and walked through those imposing doors. Here I was, finally able to fulfill my destiny, to bring about peace in this world. First, I had to find my friend, the only one who could help me bring this about. Even before that – figuring out how to blend in at this infernal high school. **

**My name is Arthur Pendragon, and I had returned.**

**A/N: Hi guys! This is my first Merlin fanfic, so I hope you enjoy! Chapters will be sporadic, probably, as I have a lot going on, but I hope you like my story enough to stick with it! Thanks so much, and enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I remember my death clearly, and all that led to it. I also remember what happened afterwards. My body stayed in Lake Avalon, but my consciousness was free. I felt almost...godlike, though I was never arrogant enough to presume to call myself that. I could hear everything, see everything, yet say nothing. I saw Merlin take care of Gwen for the rest of her life, I saw him both suffer and be happy, and I saw him mourn all his friends when they died.

And I was there the first time he broke down, one day, about a month after my death, in my room. At the time, I had still been mainly mad and betrayed at him. No matter what his reasons had been, he had lied to me for years. Yes, he had tried to save my life, and yes, he had told me in the end, but even that didn't eradicate all those _lies_. Yet, there he was, sobbing in my room. In a second, I was there too, invisible, simply watching.

"Arthur..." he hiccuped, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was to hug him, tell him I was alright. "Why?" he shouted up at the ceiling. With a flash of gold in his eyes, the windows exploded outwards, and the door banged open.

"Merlin!" Gwen shouted as she ran into the room, cradling Merlin in her arms.

"Why? Why, Gwen, why?" he brokenly asked, and she shook her head softly, starting to cry as well. "Why could he have never known?"

Stroking Merlin's hair softly, Gwen stilled for a second. "Never known what?" she asked quietly, and I remembered how she had pushed Merlin to tell her everything, and he had resisted.

"Everything." he gave a little hiccup again. "Everything I've ever done for him, everything I ever gave up for him. I could have...should have told him so long ago, but I was so scared. He could have died knowing everything."

"Like what?" Gwen pressed gently, and Merlin shuddered.

"Lancelot, the great Dragon, Fr-Fr-Freya." he sobbed.

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked, looking down at Merlin in confusion, and I nodded unconsciously. What was he talking? What did Lancelot have to do with anything?

Merlin looked up at Gwen, tear tracks glistening on his cheeks. "Lancelot knew everything. He—When we first met, he saw me use my magic, but didn't think I was a monster. He helped me through the years, and sacrificed himself so I wouldn't when he stepped through the veil."

"And when he came back?" Gwen questioned, confused.

"That wasn't Lancelot." Merlin shook his head emphatically. "He didn't know about me, he was just a shroud, raised by Morgana. He enchanted you, Gwen, you never would have kissed him if you weren't wearing that magical bracelet Morgana had enchanted."

Gwen gasped, and I felt like I had been clobbered over the head. I had long ago forgiven Gwen for what she had done to me, and now it seemed as if I needn't ever have done so. "Why did you never tell Arthur this?" she asked, and I could hear her trying to fight judgement.

"I tried." Merlin smiled weakly. "I tried, but he was too hurt to listen to me. I'm sorry, Gwen. I failed both you and Lancelot."

"It's okay, it's okay." Gwen soothed Merlin. After a moments hesitation, she asked, "Who was Freya?"

This only made Merlin's tears fall faster. "I-I-I can't." he choked out, and Gwen nodded sadly.

"Of course, of course, Merlin. But you know I'm here if you ever want to talk, okay?" she offered, and Merlin nodded his head slightly.

With that, Gwen left the room, wiping her eyes hastily, leaving Merlin still sitting on my floor. "Everyone I loved who died, because of you, Arthur. Will, my father, my love...and I still loved you. I still stayed by your side. Yet wherever you are now, you believe me to be a traitor, a dirty sorcerer." He paused, bowing his head. "I loved her...and you killed her."

Mind reeling, I pulled back as Merlin continued to sob wordlessly. What was he talking about? I remembered Will, his best friend from Ealdor, who had died protecting his village. He had admitted to being a sorcerer; now I saw how he had been protecting Merlin all along. Will was a worthy friend to have. Yet what did Merlin's father have to do with anything? Merlin had always told me he didn't have a father, his father had left his mother before Merlin was even born. And even more confusing, this Freya he talked of...I never knew anyone of that name, never killed a woman of that name.

It was a week later (or a blink of the eye, for me), when I learned who this Freya was. Merlin did come to talk to Gwen, and told her the whole story. How he had freed the girl from captivity, come to love her, despite her curse, had planned to run away with her, only to see me kill her in her animal form. After hearing this, I left Camelot, finding an isolated place to the north where I could think in peace.

Although Merlin and I had made peace between us before I died, I had never really understood the depth of what he'd done for me. Now, it appeared, he had done more, endured more than I could ever have imagined.

From that moment of realization on, I watched Merlin carefully. Through the centuries, I watched Merlin age (and de-age, which I'll admit was extremely weird to see), I watched him suffer, I watched the raw moments where he would break down and sob, and I watched him as he adapted easily to the new world.

Even having forgiven him while still alive, there was still so much I wanted to tell him, things I needed Merlin to hear, things that I'd never get to say to him. This regret I carried for centuries, and now, looking up at the high school, I was ready to relieve it and see my best friend again.

I knew this high school was where I needed to be. I had woken up about six months ago in my old body with an address clutched in my hand. From watching carefully over the years, I knew all about modern things (cars, phones, crap music, slang, etc), so at least I wasn't waking in a completely strange land. With no clue how I ended up there, I made my way to the address, hoping for some answers. There, I was met with a surprise, also known as my sister. Immediately, I had reeled back. "Morgana!"

"Careful, Arthur, don't hurt yourself." she tried to calm me, standing up from her computer to move slowly towards me.

"What are you doing?" I shouted, reaching for a sword before realizing I had none.

"I'm trying to help you." she informed me dryly, giving up on the attempt to approach me.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I spat, "You tried to kill me and take my throne!"

"And that was thousands of years ago, Arthur. Geez, you gotta let these things go." she rolled her eyes as I stared at her in confusion. "Listen, yes, I know that way back in our first lives, we hated each other in the end, but I was misguided back then. All I had was my hatred towards Uther, my friends' betrayal, and pain. I've had a long time to think about it, as well as actual guidance, and now I'm here to help you." she explained.

I said the only thing that made sense. "Bullshit."

Her eyes widened, impressed. "Only a day or two in the world, and already swearing like a native. Good job."

"Cut it out, Morgana. Now, tell me the truth. What's going on?" I demanded, and she sighed heavily.

"I've told you the truth. I'm trying to help you now, so either you trust me now, or you'll learn to trust me along the way."

"What do you mean?" I asked, suspicious.

She gestured around the shop we were in, at the address that I had found. "I've been on Earth for a few years now. The Powers-That-Be, if you will, sent me early to set things up for us."

"What exactly do you mean, the Powers-That-Be?" I questioned.

She gestured up at the sky, then the ground. "Whoever's pulling the strings, I guess. My bet is on Kilgarreh and Aithusa, possibly the Druids. I'm not certain. All I know is that I was sent here about three years back, and told by one of their representatives to learn about computers, open this shop, live my life, and wait for you to show up."

Seizing onto the only concrete thing there, I asked, "Representative?"

Morgana rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, big ball of light that appeared suddenly out of thin air, spoke to me in a weird voice, telling me what to do."

"Why learn about computers?" I wrinkled my nose.

"Well, seeing how I've become a fairly proficient hacker, I've created false identities for us, registered us at a local high school, and started searching for Merlin." she explained briefly.

Nodding, I perched on the shop counter. "So, we're here to find Merlin, who will be at some local high school?"

"As far as I can figure, yes." Morgana shrugged.

"I thought he was immortal, and would live forever. Wouldn't he just find us?"

"Something must have made him forget." A shadow passed over Morgana's face for a second before fading. I decided not to question that now.

"So, we have to find an immortal warlock in a high school, and, where exactly are we?" I wondered, looking around.

Morgana grinned. "Welcome to the land of the free, Artie!"

Realizing what she meant, I stared, confused. "You mean?"

"I mean." she nodded. "We're in America. In Maryland, technically, right near D.C., the capital of the States."

"Why America?"

"If I understood what was going on here, I'd be gloating over you, but unfortunately, we're in the same boat here. Become a hacker, establish backstories, enroll in Springfield High School as juniors, wait for Arthur, find Merlin – that's all I know." she waved her hand.

"So...what do we do now?" I asked, jumping off the counter.

She shrugged. "I can show you our house."

"We have a house? Is it just us? Or has anyone else been brought back too?" I questioned.

She shot me a look. "I honestly don't know. If there're out there, then I haven't found them yet. And yes, we have a house. No guardians, we're both emancipated minors, our parents supposedly died five years ago. Supposedly, an uncle took care of us until he split a year ago, leaving us alone. We both became emancipated minors, but don't really have to work due to the fact that we each have a large bank account with enough money in it to last several lifetimes."

"How did that happen?" I opened the door, following Morgana out as she left the shop.

Her reply was a sharp point towards the sky. "To fill you in on everything else, our names are still Morgana and Arthur, but just Penn, not Pendragon. Oh, and we're full siblings here. Our parents names were Laurence and Jillian Penn. Our uncle was Gauis Penn, thought you'd appreciate that. We moved from England this summer, which explains our accents."

"Okay." I nodded, trying to keep up with her fast stride.

"You've been watching this whole time, right?" she asked quickly, turning to me.

"Of course."

"I'm guessing you know everything that will be taught in high school, right?" she questioned, and I snorted.

"Of course."

She nodded briskly. "Good. We both need scrupulous grades, or people will start to question us. Also, if we're stuck here for the rest of our lives, it'd be good to have a solid start."

"Okay." I caught her arm, and she spun around. "What about magic?" I whispered, and she shook her head fervently.

"Not here. We'll talk when we get home." She started walking again. After a minute, she added, "Your room's all set up." With that, she stopped abruptly, causing me to crash into her.

Shooting me another withering glare, she pointed at the street. "This is my car."

Taking in the exquisite red Ferrari, I whistled. "This is blending in?"

"No, this is being cool, and having a good time." she grinned, and I saw, for that moment, the old Morgana shine through. The one I used to love, the one Camelot loved. "Are you going to stand there like an idiot for much longer?" she asked impatiently, tapping the window, and the vision faded. Hurriedly, I got into the car.

"You'll teach me how to drive, right?" I checked, and she laughed.

"Yeah, you can try it with your car in the drive way sometime."

"My car?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, your car." she repeated, as if to an idiot.

"What type of car do I get?" I asked, and she grinned again.

"You'll see," and she would say no more.

When we arrived at Morgana's, no, _our_, house, I felt my jaw drop. It was so huge! Obviously, it was smaller than my castle in Camelot had been, but it was pretty darn large for a house nearish to D.C. "Where's my room?"

Morgana gave me a quick tour of the house before leading me upstairs to my room. It was a large room, already filled with (my) stuff. The walk-in closet had tons of modern clothing in my size, and Morgana watched me carefully as I examined the rest of the closet. "Is everything fine?"

"Yeah, I just, I kinda miss my armor and everything." I admitted, and she laughed.

"Men and their armor. Me, I'm happy with modern clothing. While the dresses were cooler back then, nothing is comfier than jeans and a good t-shirt. Not that I'd ever wear that in public, though." she added.

Walking over to my bookshelves, I looked at the titles, then turned to Morgana, her expression unreadable. "What are these?"

"I thought you might want to see how you're perceived now. How Merlin is too, actually. It may be important later on. Now," she went to sit on my bed, "about magic."

Tensing, I turned to face her. "What about it?"

"Well, what are your views on it?" she asked me gently, and I sighed softly.

"I know why Merlin lied to me, and I realized that it was probably for the best. Back then, I don't know what I would have done if I had lived and known of Merlin's magic."

"So you accept magic?" she asked, eyes wide.

"I accept that it is merely an ability, a tool that one cannot control whether they have or not, and that can be used for good or evil. I am accepting of the use of magic for good." I stated firmly, and Morgana rushed over to hug me.

"Thank you, thank you, Arthur!" she half-sobbed, and when she released me, I saw tears in her eyes.

"I'm guessing you still have your magic." I hedged, and she nodded.

"But I do only use it for good, though." she promised, and I nodded.

"Will he? I mean, still have have magic?" I asked, and she nodded.

"A power like his doesn't go away, and wouldn't. If he knows who he is, then he'll know how to use it. Otherwise, my guess is he had no memory, or false memories of a different life, and no clue as to why he can do things others can't." she decided.

"And the latter would mean we would have to convince him he's a thousand-year-old warlock?"

Wincing, Mogana nodded. "Yup."

"Which do you think we'll find?" I asked, looking at her.

When she didn't answer, I ducked my head. This would not be easy.

**A/N: There you go! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry I wasn't able to get this up sooner, but I've had a lot on my plate recently. Hopefully, I'll have more time to write soon. Anyway, here's Chapter 2!**

Chapter 2

Thankfully, I had a lot of time (six months) before I had to begin high school. In those six months, I learned how to drive, got a whole new wardrobe (plus the one Morgana had already bought for me), confirmed that I already knew everything that would be taught in my classes, started working out, and came to trust my sister again. She seemed to truly regret our past life, and wanted to make things right with me and with Merlin. At one point, during one of our long talks, she admitted that, excepting Gwen, Merlin had been her greatest friend in Camelot, and that she should have seen, when he had poisoned her (which blew my mind, as I hadn't ever known that that had been Merlin), he was just trying to protect his friends. I asked her at one point if she had loved Merlin, to which she shook her head adamantly.

"He was more like a big brother to me, really. I loved Merlin, but not romantically. I always knew Merlin was in love with someone else, and would never have gotten in between them." she had replied.

"Freya." I had nodded, to which she gave me a strange look.

"The Lady of the Lake? What does she have to do with anything?"

I gave her a weird look in return. "Merlin was in love with her...she was that cursed druid girl, remember?"

Tilting her head to the side, Morgana recalled, "Wait, the beast that you killed? You killed the girl he was in love with?"

Gulping at her glare, I nodded. "But I didn't know at the time!"

"How did he put up with you?" Morgana grumbled. "How the hell did he manage to stay loyal to you after all that?"

I shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. I only found out about it after I died, frankly."

Morgana made a face at me. "Well, yeah, as if you'd known before, you'd have executed him."

Wincing, I mumbled, "I try not to think about that part of it."

She rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

It was only an hour later that I remember what she had said before, her surprise at Merlin's love for Freya. Barging into her room, I demanded, "Wait, if you didn't know he was in love with Freya, then who was Merlin in love with?"

Morgana looked up from painting her nails long enough to smirk at me. "Well, that's the question, isn't it?"

Frustrated, but knowing arguing with Morgana wouldn't yield any results, I withdrew from her room, annoyed. Who had Merlin been in love with, all those centuries ago?

Two hours later, I had only come up with a few names – Gwen, Morgana, Emma, and Lily – and these were the only girls he had ever mentioned. Morgana I could instantly dismiss, as though I had teased him about her once upon a time, I knew they had only been friends. Gwen had once had a crush on Merlin, but I don't think he had ever liked her that way. Besides, I felt a wave of old sadness wash over me, he'd had ample time with Gwen after my death, and never once had he made any advance on her. Gwen...I missed my Gwen, but it was more a dull ache than the sharp pain it had been soon after she died.

Back to task, don't think about Gwen. Emma...Merlin had mentioned her a few times as a girl from Ealdor he had been good friends with before he left for Camelot. Something in me told me it wasn't her, though. That only left Lily, one of Gwen's friends, and fellow servant of the castle. I had met her a few times, and though she was sweet and pretty, I remember her getting engaged soon after I became king.

Staring exasperatedly at my list, I heaved a heavy sigh. Back down to no one, then.

Morgana poked her head in my door. "Hey, Arthur, what do you want to do for dinner tonight? I vote we go out to that new Indian place downtown."

I nodded, throwing my list aside. "Okay, just let me throw on some better clothes." I gestured at my worn shorts and shirt.

She nodded. "Cool. You know, it's almost summer. Once summer begins, we should start making friends with the locals. We don't want to be complete misfits when we start high school."

"Got it." I nodded, picking out an outfit from my closet.

"What's this?" Morgana asked, picking up the list from the floor.

"It's nothing." I muttered, going to take it away from her, but she held it out of my reach.

"Gwen, Morgana, Emma, and Lily." she read out loud. "Why is my name on this list?"

"It's nothing." I repeated, snatching it quickly from my sister.

"Arthur..." her eyes warned me what would happen unless I spilled.

Ducking my head, I mumbled, "It's a list of possible people Merlin might've been in love with."

She arched an eyebrow. "And why would you care about that? It was a long, _long_ time ago, Arthur. Why would you care about that now?"

"Because I do!" I answered hotly, and she smiled, arching her eyebrow even higher.

"Why?"

Taking a deep breath, I stopped for a moment to think. Why _did_ I care? Like Morgana said, it had been centuries ago, and whoever it was surely wasn't still alive today, so it wasn't like it _mattered_, at least in the long run. So why did I care? It had nothing to do with me...

"I honestly don't know." I answered her finally, tilting my head in consideration. "I guess...when I found out he had magic, I was so surprised, he suddenly became this new person...and I never got a chance to know that person, you know? All the things I never knew about him I kinda associate with that other person, and I never knew about him loving someone, so," I waved my hands together, "...it just piques my curiousity..." I finally trailed off.

Morgana stared at me for a second, then shook her head. "He was always just Merlin, Arthur. I mean, I get what you're saying, but magic was just part of Merlin. He was born with magic, it was just one part of everything that made Merlin, Merlin."

"Then I just want to know my Merlin better." I replied, noticing how her eyes glinted at my words.

"I see," was all she said, then pointed at my closet, "go, get dressed. I'll meet you in ten."

I nodded, starting to pull of my shirt. She turned back suddenly at my doorway, leaning against the wood. "Oh, and Arthur?"

"Yeah?" I asked, shirt halfway off.

She gave me a slight smile. "The person you're looking for, they're not on that list, nor any you'd ever come up with." With that, she gracefully pushed off the doorframe and walked away, leaving me staring at her. My only thought – what the hell does she mean by that?

We drove in silence to the restaurant, the only sound being the wind whipping through our hair. God, I loved convertibles. When we got there, the hostess smiled at us. "Date?" she asked, eyeing me.

Morgana opened her mouth to answer, but I cut her off quickly. "Yes. Our first anniversary." Putting my arm around Morgana, I shot her a look.

"Yes. We're so excited." Morgana smiled sweetly at the girl, who looked crushed.

"That's so great. Um, this is Kristie," she turned to the girl next to her, "and she'll take you to your seats."

"Thanks." we both murmured, and the other girl, Kristie, showed us to our seats quickly.

The moment she was gone, Morgana whispered, "What the heck was that about? Incestuous much?"

"That girl was looking at me like I was a package of meat! What else was I supposed to do?" I threw my hands in the air.

"You're insane, you know that right?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I may be insane, but I'm the king, remember?" I smirked, and she poked her tongue out at me. "Real mature." I grinned.

Morgana rolled her eyes at me. I leaned forward on the table. "So," I started, and she shivered slightly.

"I'm not going to like this 'so', am I?" she asked rhetorically, and I just smiled slightly.

"So, if you weren't the one Merlin was in love with, and it wasn't anyone on that list, who was it?"

She shook her head (was that pity in her eyes?) at me. "Not telling. You'll have to ask him that."

"But he won't remember! I thought we decided he probably has no memory, otherwise he'd have found us already! It's been four months already!" I protested, and she shrugged.

"Once he gets his memories back, he will, I promise you." She sounded so sure, and I eyed her as Kristie came up to us.

"Hi! So, as you know, I'm Kristie, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Is there anything I can get you to drink?" she chirped cheerfully.

We ordered quickly (we both always ordered the exact same thing each time we ate Indian food), and she walked away.

"You're not going to tell me who is was, are you?" I checked, to which Morgana nodded, smirking.

"Nope."

An evil thought entered my brain, and I smirked back at her. "So, tell me then, if it wasn't you who Merlin was in love with, and you weren't in love with him, who were you in love with?"

Morgana spluttered for a minute before regaining her cool composure. "What are you talking about? I was never in love with anyone in Camelot."

"Darling sister, your eyes deceive you." I mocked her gently, then tilted my head again. "Come on, who was it? It's not like it matters now, does it?"

She shook her head slowly. "That's the problem, there was no one. I mean, at one point, I had a slightly crush on Leon, but it never really developed any further."

Struck by the meaning behind her words, I leaned forward again. "You mean, you never loved in Camelot?"

"I loved my sister, then she was killed." Morgana snapped quickly, then stopped herself. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"It's okay." I reassured her, and she gave me a brief smile.

"I couldn't let myself get too attached to anyone in Camelot, even before I met Morgause. I mean, even before I knew I had magic, I still had the nightmares, and I was still the king's ward. I was scared some man would try to use me to gain favor with the king. Then I found out I had magic, and I couldn't let myself consider love for fear of being found out by my love and betrayed. Then I met Morgause, and, well, you know what happened next." she trailed off.

Reaching across the table, I took her hand. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "I'm over it. Don't worry." But she didn't withdraw her hand from mine.

The rest of the meal we spent chatting about history. Having both lived through so much, it was interesting to compare how we saw different events. Before we knew it, Kristie was handing us the check, we were paid, and faking being a couple again for the hostess. The moment we were in the car, Morgana started laughing.

"What?" I asked, nonplussed.

"Sorry, just laughing over the fact that they _actually_ thought we were dating!"

"That was kinda weird." I laughed.

"You think?" she snorted, then composed herself. "Well, I _am_ your type, after all. I should be offended you haven't asked me out yet!"

I looked at her for one second before we both started cackling laughing. "'Incestuous much?'" I quoted her, then grinned. "And hey, why would you think I was your type? Gwen had brown eyes, remember, and darker skin."

Morgana bit her lip slightly, before smiling sunnily, and declaring, "I'm everyone's type!" With that, she put on some loud music, effectively ending our conversation.

Laying in bed that night, I thought for a moment about everything Morgana had said that day. Her comment about my 'type' had been a slip, I was sure of it, but how? What dark-haired, non-brown-eyed person did I know? Could that have been a hint about Merlin's old love? Rolling over, I banished the thought from my mind. Answers would come with time.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading! I'd love it if some of you lovely readers reviewed, and let me know what you think! Have a happy day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi again! Here's the next installment in Roles Reversed! Enjoy! Oh, and-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or anything else I may ever mention.**

Chapter 3

Summer left too quickly. One moment, I was sunning on a beach, the next, standing in front of this school. I hadn't really made any friends during the summer, preferring to spend my time alone, working out, reading, or just pondering the past. Morgana, instead, had quickly gotten herself integrated into the 'popular' group. All it had taken was for them to insult her, Morgana to employ her wicked use of words, and for them to realize she was just as pretty and bitchy as they were. Girls...

Morgana and I still talked (almost too much, sometimes), and our conversations ranged from past times in Camelot, current issues, how to find Merlin, and the weather to some really strange topics. At one point, she asked me what I thought of her new 'friends', to which I replied they were all as beautiful as swans, fake as Monopoly money, and smart as slugs. With a mysterious little smile on her face, she conceded the point, and asked whether or not I wanted her to put in a good word for me with one of them.

"Whyever would I want to date one of those idiots?" I remember asking in disgust.

She had shaken her head. "Because they're all hot, and you're a guy."

"No thanks." I had adamantly shaken my head.

Morgana had cocked her head to the side. "Why haven't you gotten yourself a girlfriend yet? I mean, it might help you blend in, and besides, it'd be good for you."

"I don't want a girlfriend," was my short reply, and I had left.

However, I thought I heard her sigh to herself as I left. Her whisper, "I thought so," floated through the air after me.

So now, here I am, friendless and alone, standing in front of the school. Morgana had driven us in today, and had dropped me off, going over to her friends. "Blend in, make friends, and find Merlin." Morgana had told me briefly, before kicking me out of her car. I could do that, I could deal with high school. I mean, how hard can it be? I'm smart, I have all the right materials, and my schedule. I'll be fine.

First period for me was English, which looked like a total bore at first. As our teacher handed us the reading list, I scanned it over. Shakespeare, Austin, Dickens, and wait, what? _The Once and Future King_? Before I could react any more, my teacher started to speak.

"Hello, class, and welcome to 11th Grade English. My name is Mr. Browning, and I'll be your teacher for this year. If you get on my good terms, you'll know me as Alex. If you get on my bad side, you'll know me as Mr. Fucking-Browning, the teacher from Hell. Pardon my french." he smiled genially, and a few kids laughed. He continued: "As I'm sure you've all just looked over the reading list, we're going to have an boring year. We'll be reading _Pride and Prejudice_, which I'm sure you've all read before. Next, plays and sonnets by the playwright I prefer to call 'The Sexist Brit'. Anybody from England here?" he looked around the class.

Slowly, I raised my hand. "Your name?" Mr. Browning asked.

"Arthur Penn." I answered carefully.

He smiled. "Okay, Arthur. How'd you like England?"

I shrugged. "It's home for me. I've always loved England."

"And what about Shakespeare?" Mr. Browning prodded, and I shrugged again.

"Not so much. I've never considered him to be as amazing as everyone thinks he is."

"Good." Mr. Browning nodded, then surveyed the room again. "Who here likes Shakespeare?"

A few people raised their hands. He nodded sadly. "Well, I regret to tell you that you will probably hate my class, and go home cursing my name every day during our Shakespeare unit. Any die-hard Shakespeare fans?"

No one raised their hand. He smiled. "Very good. That type usually has to transfer out of my class. As a teacher at Springfield High, I am required to teach his works, doesn't mean I have to like it!" This prompted a few more laughs from my class, and I began to smile.

"And finally, we will end the year with my personal obsession, the Arthurian legend. Who here has heard of it?"

My hand was alone in the air. Mr. Browning chuckled. "Of course. Only the one named Arthur knows of Arthurian legend. Camelot, people? Knights of the Round Table?" he prompted, and a few more hands shot up.

"Okay. So here's my deal to all of you. We spend the first term or so going over all the boring dead people's works, you guys put up with that and do well, and for the rest of the year, we'll read more fun works. I promise, you'll enjoy what's in store for you." he promised.

Looking around, I saw everyone nodding. "Good!" Mr. Browning declared, then picked up a copy of _Macbeth_. "So, let's start with the Sexist Brit!"

My next class, AP United States History, seemed boring. My teacher, Mr. Cassidy, was neither inspiring nor brilliant, but rather taught what was needed to be taught. Also, the whole class seemed to freak out over how hard everything seemed. What did I care? I knew everything – I'd been there. The United States had always interested me in my, for want of a better word, dead life.

After that, AP Calculus with Mrs. Zimmerman. She, in contrast to Mr. Cassidy, was a bright young woman who clearly knew what she was talking about. I promptly dubbed this as an easy class that I'd be able to skate through, but wouldn't be able to sleep in.

After math, I had lunch, then a free period. Morgana hadn't signed me up for any electives, so this would give me a chance to do all my homework, or potentially find/befriend Merlin, whenever he showed up. Also, Morgana was in computer class during fourth period, so I could always go talk to her.

My last two classes were, similar to the rest of my classes, a breeze. Physics with Mrs. Grayson, and French with Mr. Hutchins. That was the only class I'd potentially have to study for, as my French was slightly rusty.

At the end of the day, I met Morgana at her locker, surrounded by a group of giggling girls. "Pardon me." I smiled politely at them, and they walked away, giggling.

"I'll text you, Morgana." a few of them called, and Morgana waved to them, before turning to me.

"What did you find?" she demanded.

"Do you know how much people complain here? They have a paper and a test due on the same day, they complain. They're told they'll have to study half an hour a day for a foreign language, and they bitch about it. What's up with that? Whatever happened to hard work?" I complained, and Morgana smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Welcome to America, remember? Land of the free, free expression of speech?" she reminded me, and I grimaced.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you found him yet?" I asked.

"No. There's no one named Merlin in any of my classes, and none of my friends had ever heard of him. I didn't see anyone who looked like him, either, which will be our only real way of finding him, as he might have changed his name." Morgana decided, and I shook my head.

"This is going to be impossible. Why send us to this school if he's not here?" I demanded, and she shrugged.

"I have no idea. Now, tell me you made friends?"

Uncomfortably, I shrugged. "No, not yet."

"Well, do!" Morgana ordered. "Blending in means not being that one loner in the corner. You're hot, you're smart, and you're athletic. Go get friends."

"Fine, fine!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Who do I become friends with?"

"Just, anyone! Well, not the losers here, but just make sure you're accepted into some sort of group." Morgana said.

"Got it. What are you doing after school?" I asked my sister.

She rolled her eyes. "Sarah, the brunette with the blue eyes, has a new boyfriend, apparently, so she's showing him off to us at coffee, so I have to run...or wait." she stopped, eyeing me appraisingly.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Do you want to come with?" Morgana suggested. "That way, I can introduce you to the girls, that way they'll know you, and hey, you can meet another guy. He doesn't go here yet – Sarah said he's transferring here in a week or so."

"Seeing as you're the one who drove us here today, I guess I'm in."

"Good." Morgana smiled. "Let's go."

Fifteen minutes later, I was seated next to a bunch of silly girls my sister was using for their popularity, all of who were giggling over pictures Sarah was showing them. "Is he meeting us here?" Morgana asked at some point, to which Sarah nodded.

"Yeah, he said he'd be here at 3."

Impatiently, I tapped my fingers on the desk, waiting for this guy to show up. After a little bit, one of Sarah's friends, Katie, left Sarah talking about her boyfriend to sit next to me.

"Hi." she smiled at me, holding out her hand. "I know Morgana already introduced us, but I'm Katie."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled at her. "I'm Arthur."

"Yeah, I remember." she laughed, and when I looked curious, she explained, "I'm in your english class. You know, with Mr. Browning?"

"Oh, yes." Now I remembered seeing her. She sat diagonal from me, and had been one of the few who'd heard of Camelot. "You're not a Shakespeare fan, are you?"

She laughed lightly. "Not fan, no. I mean, I've always liked his works, but I realize everybody has their flaws. His were common of his time period, but still."

"But, even going past all the prejudice in his work, I don't get the material itself." I argued, and Katie tilted her head slightly, almost like Morgana did.

"How so?" she questioned, eyes sparkling with a challenge.

Where to start...? "Okay, I presume you know his sonnets?"

"Of course." she nodded.

"Well, what about the one where he criticizes 'his love's' appearance, then goes on to say he loves her no matter what?"

"What's wrong with that one? He tells his love that no matter what her appearance, he'll always love her. That it's what's inside that matters." Katie reminded me, and I laughed.

"In my experience, if a man ever tells a woman she isn't the fairest or most beautiful in all the land, or he criticizes the way she looks, he'll get bitch-slapped." I replied, and Katie burst out laughing.

"On behalf of my gender, I must slap you right now." she teased, and I laughed as well. "Okay, so you don't appreciate the Bard's sonnets, but what about all his plays? _Macbeth_? _The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet_?"

I chuckled. "Everybody was a bloodthirsty fiend in _Macbeth_, I wouldn't be surprised if someone wrote a version with them all being zombies, like they did with _Pride and Prejudice_. At least then, it'd make some sense."

Katie laughed, shook her head, and motioned for me to speak on.

"And Romeo...I almost couldn't read that play due to the fact that I wanted to punch Romeo every time he opened his big mouth. He was such an idiot! Everyone says he killed himself for love and all that, but he was a teenager, for God's sake! Younger than us! He obviously didn't love for character, rather for looks, as he was in love with that Rosaline character, then he sees Juliet, she's a babe, bam!, he's in love with her." I concluded.

"Not one for love at first sight?" Katie teased me solemnly, and I smiled slightly.

"I've just always found it rather...suspicious."

Katie opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Sarah. "There he is!" she squealed.

**A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm evil, cliffhanger and all! :) But I hope you're enjoying Roles Reversed! Also, I hope I didn't offend any Shakespeare lovers! I've read some of his plays, been to the Globe Theatre and everything, but I just don't like him that much. But hey, that's my opinion, so don't let it influence yours if you like him! Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and please review!**

**By the way, if anyone wants to beta this or anything, feel free to PM me or something...I've never had a beta, but if you really like my story and want to, I'd love to have one! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last time on Roles Reversed:**

**Morgana rolled her eyes. "Sarah, the brunette with the blue eyes, has a new boyfriend, apparently, so she's showing him off to us at coffee, so I have to run...or wait." she stopped, eyeing me appraisingly. **

"**Yeah?" I asked. **

"**Do you want to come with?" Morgana suggested. "That way, I can introduce you to the girls, that way they'll know you, and hey, you can meet another guy. He doesn't go here yet – Sarah said he's transferring here in a week or so." **

"**Seeing as you're the one who drove us here today, I guess I'm in." **

"**Good." Morgana smiled. "Let's go." **

**Katie opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Sarah. "There he is!" she squealed. **

Chapter 4

Looking around, I saw a ruggedly handsome man with longish brown hair, brown eyes, and a cocky smirk saunter into the shop, and my mouth dropped. Morgana was next to me in a flash. "Be cool. See if he remembers anything first." She whispered in my ear.

Dumbly, I nodded, eyes still taking in the wonder before me. He hadn't changed one bit.

"Girls, and Arthur," Sarah added, "Meet my boyfriend, Gwaine!"

Morgana's arm around me tightened, and I saw Gwaine look us all over, his eyes stopping briefly on Morgana and me. Giving me a quick wink, he walked over to Sarah and put his arm around her.

"Hi, nice to meet you all." He smiled at all the girls, his easy accent making a few of them blush. "Sarah's told me such wonderful things about all of you. Except..." he paused slightly, "I don't think she mentioned you, mate." He turned to me.

"Arthur." I reached out my hand, and he clasped it. "I'm Morgana's brother. I just met everyone today too, actually."

"Nice to meet you Arthur." He smiled. "I'm hope I'll see you around a lot when I transfer to Springfield High."

I inclined my head, just as I used to in Camelot. Gwaine had always called me a royal prick when I had. "I hope so too."

Gwaine smirked slightly, and I knew. This was my Gwaine, he would help me. But how did he get here?

"I love your accent, Gwaine." Katie spoke up behind me. "Where's it from?"

Smiling genially, Gwaine replied, "London. I moved here over the summer."

"That's so funny, Arthur and I did too." Morgana put in, and Gwaine fixed his eyes on her.

"Well then, it's good to know someone else from England. I do miss it, but at least I have my uncle to talk to. Do you have family here?" His answer was loaded with hidden meanings. I shook my head.

"No, our parents died a while ago. We're both emancipated minors now."

"Hard luck, mate. I'm sorry to hear it." Gwaine looked genuinely sorry for a second, eyes searching mine.

Morgana shrugged. "They had their flaws. They were very prejudiced against some people, and I'm afraid they influenced us. However, when we came to America we found that we were wrong, and have been trying to change." She said very, very carefully, and I could tell Gwaine saw the hidden meaning. Uther was wrong, magic is right, we're here to help Merlin.

"I'm glad to hear it." He nodded at us.

"So," Sarah said, cutting into our little conversation, "Gwaine, these are all my friends. Arthur, Morgana, Katie, Tara, Rachel, Steph, and Laurel." She pointed to each of us as she introduced us.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Gwaine smiled and allowed himself to be dragged down to the table by his girlfriend. Immediately, the other girls started questioning him about England, his hair, his family, sports, etc. Dear lord. I almost felt bad for him, except, knowing Gwaine, he was probably loving the attention.

After about a half an hour of having her boyfriend be fawned over by her friends, Sarah stood up. "Alright, guys, we better be off. Cheerleading starts in half an hour."

"You guys are cheerleaders?" I asked in surprise. I hadn't known Springfield High had cheerleaders.

"Of course!" Katie smiled at me, then rolled her eyes when the others looked away. Obviously at least one of them didn't like being a cheerleader.

Turning to my sister, I asked, "Are you a cheerleader?"

She shrugged. "I thought I'd try out. Sarah promised she could get me in."

Ah, the things we had to do to blend in, eh? I could see Morgana's clear dislike for the idea of cheerleading, so I smiled brilliantly. "Have fun! We can go out for dinner afterwards, how about that?"

"Sure. Um, what time does cheerleading end?" Morgana asked, and Tara shook her head.

"We always go out for lattes afterwards." She turned to me. "Why don't you pick her up at the cafe on Wayne Street? We should be done by 6:30."

"Great, I'll see you then." Morgana smiled at me.

I gave her a quick hug, whispering, "Have fun!" sarcastically in her ear, and she left with the girls after handing me the keys to her car.

"I'll call you tonight, Gwaine!" Sarah called over her shoulder, and Gwaine waved once in response.

The moment they were gone, I was enveloped in a huge hug. "Can't...breathe!" I choked out, and Gwaine released me quickly.

"Sorry, Arthur, it's just...damn, it's good to see you again. How have you been?" He asked me.

Looking around at everyone else in the cafe, I grabbed Gwaine's arm. "Here, why don't we talk on the way to my house."

Nodding quickly, Gwaine followed me outside to Morgana's car. "Jump in." I invited him, and he swung into the passenger seat with an appreciative whistle.

"Damn, Morgana's got a sweet car!"

"You should see mine!" I winked, and we were off.

"So, what happened to you, Gwaine?" I asked when we'd sat down in my living room. "What was your experience being...uh, being—" I trailed off awkwardly, and Gwaine laughed.

"Being dead?" I nodded mutely. "It was fine, really. I was just kinda, released, I guess, into the air. I didn't need to eat, sleep, do anything like that, and I was free to roam around the earth. I mean, I got one hell of a shock when I learned about Merlin, but it all just made sense, really."

"How so?" I asked.

Gwaine looked me in the eye. "You know what I mean. Merlin having magic explained everything. Why he was so wise beyond his age, why he was sometimes very secretive, why he was never afraid of riding into battles, how he always seemed to knock out at least two huge guys in our fights, why he was never at the tavern, despite you thinking he practically lived there, and why," Gwaine smiled gently at me, "he never once left your side. Merlin is the most loyal person I've ever known, heck, that I've ever _seen_ in all these years. He was a good friend to both of us, and now we need him back."

Clearing my throat (and trying to hide the fact that my eyes were welling up), I nodded stiffly. "We do. How did you find us?"

"Woke up about a month ago. Found a piece of paper in my hand telling me to find you and Morgana, and that I should try to blend in. I found you guys pretty easily, bought myself some clothes (don't ask how, mate), and started hanging around Sarah. I knew that by dating her, I'd become a part of Morgana and your little group of mates, though to be fair, mate, she's one of the most boring people I've ever known!" Gwaine recounted the past month of his alive/awake life.

"What about this uncle you spoke of?" I asked, and Gwaine laughed.

"That's complete bull. I don't even have a house..." He trailed off, looking around my mansion.

"You want to stay here." I said flatly, and Gwaine grinned.

"Hell, why not? It'd be a party! Besides, it's not like we didn't all live in the same house before, mate!"

"That was a _castle_, Gwaine!" I reminded him, and he shrugged yet again.

"Castle, schmastle, mansion, pansion, it's all the same to me!" He laughed.

"How old are you supposed to be?"

"Almost 17." Gwaine replied promptly.

"Is there any legal record of you? I mean, do you have a fake identity?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"Nope. I've just been telling Sarah that my uncle's a real sour puss, and doesn't like me bringing people home. Oh, and that I don't like social networks." Gwaine shuddered. "Still way to weird."

"Okay," I thought for a second, "Morgana can set you up with a new identity and all that, though you'll keep your name the same, and an account. I can buy you a house nearby, then give you enough money to live on."

"Alright!" Gwaine leaned back on the couch, not questioning how we could do such things. "So, how's life been for you, Arthur? Are the girls cute at this school of yours?"

Staring at him incredulously, I reminded him, "You're dating Sarah."

Gwaine threw that aside with a wave. "She's served her purpose. I only dated her to get close to you guys. Once I'm at that school, she's a goner."

Rolling my eyes, I accepted Gwaine's casual nature. "Fine, fine. You'll be fine at school, right? You've been watching?"

"Of course! Yeah, I even went through a few high schools when I was bored for a few years. Not that my work was ever graded, but I'll be good. Just make sure I'm in all your classes." Gwaine explained, and I nodded.

"Morgana's the one you want to talk to about that. She's the hacker. By the way," I hesitated, then went for it, "Why weren't you surprised to see Morgana? I mean, last time you saw her, she was all evil and everything."

Gwaine nodded. "True. But everyone from Camelot felt it when she left to the human world, as well as when you left. After that, I made sure to watch you guys in case I went next, and I heard your conversations. I believe her, and I'm glad she's on our side."

"Good." I nodded shortly.

"So," Gwaine grinned, "You didn't answer my question. Girls at the school, hot or not?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess? I haven't really noticed them at all. I've only been to one day of school, though, you know."

"And you didn't notice the chicks? What? It's not Gwen, is it?" Gwaine asked seriously, and I shook my head.

"No, it's not Gwen. I mean, I loved her very much, but she's long gone, and I doubt she's coming back."

"So what is it?" Gwaine asked, trying to figure me out.

Searching for a reason, I found that I didn't have one, which confused me a little. "I don't know. I mean, I'm just so bent on finding Merlin, I don't have time for that sort of thing."

Gwaine smiled mysteriously. "Ah, Merlin. I see."

Confused, but not wanting to get into it, I simply nodded. "So, um, should we find you a house?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Gwaine smiled easily, and moved to sit next to me in front of my labtop.

Two hours later, we'd found a perfect house for Gwaine about ten minutes walking distance away. It was a good-sized house (although big for one person) off a main road, and a few minutes from the high school. Hopefully, we'd be able to sign for it by the weekend (the owners were eager to get rid of it, due to their apparent need to move to Florida), and set it up over the weekend. We'd have to set up a room for Gwaine's imaginary uncle, and just say he traveled all the time, but it'd do.

By the time we were done, it was about time to pick up Morgana. "There's a room upstairs next to mine that you can use until you move out." I informed Gwaine, and he grinned.

"Thanks, mate!" Gwaine grinned.

"Do you have any other clothes?" I asked, and Gwaine shrugged.

"Yeah, but they're all the cheapest crap clothes money can buy. I'll need new ones if I want to fit in."

"Feel free to take anything from my first closet. The second closet's mine, though!" I invited and warned him in the same breath, and he laughed.

"Will do, thanks! Have fun with Morgana!" He told me as he sauntered upstairs.

Once he was out of sight, I heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Thank God for Gwaine. Merlin and I might have been extremely close in Camelot, but he and Gwaine had had a friendship of their own. Gwaine would help me. Gwaine had loved Merlin too, in his own way.

Glancing at the clock, I hurried out to the car (my car this time, not Morgana's), and started driving towards the cafe. The fact that girls always needed to congregate in cafes had always bothered me, at least in this life. They'd already gotten coffee once earlier today after school, so why again? Shaking my head to myself, I put it on my list of weird things girls did in this time that no one ever understood.

After being forced to chat (to _chat!_) with the girls for ten to fifteen minutes, I managed to pull Morgana away, saying I had made reservations. The moment we had driven off into the evening, Morgana started whacking her head against the dashboard.

"It couldn't have been that bad, surely?" I asked her, amused.

"Ugh!" She groaned. "That was...that was..."

I didn't think I'd ever seen Morgana speechless before. I kinda liked it.

"That was..." I prompted her, smirking, and she whacked my arm.

"That was the worst experience of my life! Lives," she corrected. "It was almost as bad as dying! We're forced to run around chanting nonsense, keeping a _perky_ attitude, and doing meager gymnastics."

"When did you learn gymnastics?" I asked, suddenly confused.

She grinned. "Over the summer. The gym had a nice facility, and the guy there invited me to try it out. I mean, I loved gymnastics, just not doing it for show."

"You like fighting in battles, but not tournaments." I told her, and she nodded.

"Exactly. Though, to be fair, the tournaments in Camelot were always stupid and insane. Every time you held one, somebody pretended to be a night to try and kill you!" Morgana pointed out, and I grimaced.

"But they were still fun! And proved bravery and courage, and all those other things." I reminded her, and she grumbled slightly.

"_Merlin_ hated them too." She muttered underneath her breath.

"What did you say?"

"I said that Merlin always hated all of your tournaments too. We would often bemoan how knights thought it was a good idea to bloody each other up when they might have to fight the next day in a battle." Morgana informed me, and I grinned.

"Yes, I remember. He was very vocal about all the things he thought were stupid or unnecessary." I recalled.

"Washing your clothes," Morgana started,

"Polishing my armour," I added,

"Walking your dogs," Morgana smiled,

"And cleaning my boots." I finished, and we both laughed.

"You know," Morgana started thoughtfully, "For someone you constantly berated for being lazy and slow, he was actually a damn good servant. I mean, he must have used magic sometimes to get everything done, but he got a hell of a lot done."

I nodded ruefully. "I know. When he started out, and we didn't know each other, I wanted to get rid of him, so I gave him twice what any other servant would normally do. I was amazed when he managed all that, so, seeing as he could, I just continued giving him that much work."

Pausing, I remembered Morgana's earlier statement. "Wait, you think he used magic to do my chores?"

She laughed. "Of course! Merlin was good, but no one's that good. Except that other boy, Greg."

"George." I remembered, and she nodded.

"Yeah. He, he was unnatural."

"Completely." I agreed as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

Clapping her hands together, Morgana enthused, "Oh, Indian! Perfect!"

Dinner was enjoyable, and we mainly talked about our classes, though I filled Morgana in on everything that Gwaine had said. She wrinkled her nose briefly, commented, "The sooner he can get out of our house, the better. It'll look suspicious otherwise," and then switched topics.

The next few weeks flew by. Gwaine moved out of my house and transferred into my school (Morgana set him up with everything), I became friends with a few guys in my classes, Katie started talking to me during English and at lunch, and we didn't get any closer to finding Merlin.

Soon after Gwaine transferred, he broke up with Sarah. Their breakup was very uneven – Sarah was crushed, and Gwaine kinda shrugged it off. I felt slightly bad, but I was convinced Sarah would get over it soon. After he broke up with Sarah, Gwaine started hanging around with me and Katie at lunch. However, he took up football for after school, so I was often left to my own devices. About two weeks into school, I found something to do when Gwaine was at football and Morgana at cheerleading.

I had been ambling down a random hallway when I heard my name called out. "Arthur!"

Turning around, I saw Mr. Browning walking towards me. "Oh, hi, Mr. Browning." I answered nervously. Did teachers normally talk to students after school?

"Do you have a minute?" he asked me, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for Gwaine," he was in my class, so Mr. Browning knew him, "And my sister, Morgana. They're at football and cheerleading." I answered.

"Great! I was wondering if I could talk to you about Camelot." He informed me, and I immediately stiffened. Did he know?

"What about it?" I asked tersely.

Obviously surprised by my reaction, he raised his hands in the air. "Nothing bad or anything. It's just, you knew about it on the first day, and I generally try to talk to those people who know about it before we cover it in class. And hey, since you're English, you may know some things I don't about it."

"Oh." I relaxed. "Um, yeah, sure. What do you want to know about it?"

Mr. Browning laughed. "Well, I'm not going to be arrogant and say I know it all, but since I know a lot about it, the better question is, what do you know about Camelot?"

Nervously, I cracked a smile. "Just, um, that it existed, and all. King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, the like. I doubt I know anything special that you don't already know."

"I see." He studied me slowly, then sighed heavily. "Well, if you decide to tell me the truth, I'm generally in my room before and after school."

"W-what do you mean?" I half-stuttered, and he chuckled softly.

"Sorry, that was out of line. It's just...I can tell you're hiding something, and you're very touchy about being asked about a kingdom from centuries ago. Or are you just nervous about talking to a teacher?" Mr. Browning joked, and I cursed his perceptiveness.

"Y-yeah. Um, I've got to go, go get my sister." I stammered, and started to walk away.

About halfway down the hallway, I stopped. Morgana had warned me of staying under the radar. Having a teacher be suspicious of me definitely wasn't staying under the radar. "Wait!" I called, turning back. Mr. Browning poked his head out of his classroom, where he had gone.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, I was rude just now. I just don't often talk to teachers." I apologized, and he waved that aside.

"No worries. I was good friends with all my teachers in high school, so I often forget not everybody feels comfortable talking with their teachers." He explained, and I nodded.

"It's fine. So, um, I do know a bit about Camelot, actually. It was one of my pet projects back in England." I made up, and he nodded.

"Great! So we can teach each other!"

I smiled. "Sounds fun. So, where should I start?"

**A/N: Not what you guys were expecting, huh? :) Don't worry, Merlin will be in here, but before he can get there, everything has to be set up for him!**

**Also, I want to give a huge shout-out to my new beta, TruffleHead! She's been amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better beta! :)**

**Until next time, guys, and feel free to review – I love hearing what you guys have to say!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mr. Browning and I talked for over an hour about everything Camelot, and I found it interesting to hear his version of my earlier life. Most of what he believed or had researched was either incorrect or a half-truth, and I told him minor things about Camelot. When I went home, I made sure to mention this to Morgana; she warned me to be careful, but agreed with me that talking to Mr. Browning was probably safe. The next day, I found myself in his classroom after school again, talking to him again about Camelot. This occurrence became regular, and I found myself getting to know Mr. Browning better. He hadn't yet brought up Morgana, Merlin, or Gwen (my weaknesses), instead focusing on the knights.

About a week later, the truth, or really a half-truth, came out. That day, Mr. Browning brought up the topic of Lady Guinevere (I still loved how everybody thought she was a noble...if only, that would have made our love much easier).

"So, what do you think about the Guinevere love triangle?" Alex (Mr. Browning had told me on Friday to call him Alex), asked me.

"What do you know about it?" I asked, trying not to hide my distress. I still didn't like to talk about Gwen and Lancelot, despite knowing the truth behind Gwen's betrayal.

He shrugged. "Not too much. I was never really interested in researching her. I know what most know – that she was a noble lady who won the hearts of both King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, and was extremely cunning. I mean, to marry the king, and have an affair with one of his knights? That takes cleverness. I've even heard she wasn't all that beautiful, that it was only her makeup and–"

"Shut up!" I suddenly snapped, and Alex stopped talking, staring at me.

"Excuse me?" He asked, offended.

"I told you to stop talking. Guinevere was the most beautiful girl in all of Camelot, and you know what, she didn't have an _affair_ with Lancelot. She loved him before she loved King Arthur and kissed him again on the day before her and King Arthur's wedding, but King Arthur forgave her later on and married her, and it wasn't even her fault. She had been enchanted at the time by a witch, who didn't want Gwen to be queen, seeing as she wanted the throne for herself. And also, Gwen wasn't a _lady_! I mean, she was servant, for goodness sakes!"

The moment I finished my rant, I realized what I had just done. Not meeting Mr. Browning's now-incredulous gaze, I mumbled, "Or so I've, um, heard."

"How do you know all of that?" Alex asked me after a pregnant silence.

"I-I don't. I'm sorry. That's just what I've read before." I tried to lie, but Mr. Browning wasn't having it.

"Bullshit. The way you just spoke, it's as if you've a personal stake in all of this. Or personal knowledge, whatever it is. You've always spoken in fact, despite how you try to disguise it as conjecture." He accused me. His tone then softened slightly. "If there's something you're hiding from me, you can tell me, you know? I won't be mad, or tell you you're crazy." Mr. Browning promised me.

Thinking quickly, I decided on telling a half-truth.

"Okay, I'll tell you. I have been hiding this, since I don't generally like people to know this. It becomes all they think of me as." I started, and Alex nodded.

"It's just that, well, the reason I know all this about Camelot is that...I'm King Arthur's descendant." I lied.

There was a pregnant silence, and then-

"No way, really?" Alex asked enthusiastically. "I knew some people speculated that before Arthur died, Gwen had been pregnant and bore his heir, but then Camelot had fallen before the boy could claim the throne, and he was lost. I thought that was just a theory."

I nodded. "It's true. It's basically a huge family secret, as we don't want press, or museums, or really anyone questioning us. We're a very private family, or, at least, we were."

"Were?" He asked.

"My parents died years ago, and my uncle died last year. Morgana is all the family I have left." I explained, and he made a silent 'ooh'.

"Yes, your sister, Morgana. Do all the men in your family have the name Arthur, and the women Morgana?" He asked.

Shaking my head, I answered, "No, they decided a while ago that that would be too suspicious, so the boys are named Arthur every few generations. However, no matter our legal name, we still call each other Arthur at home. Morgana's really the first girl in a while, so she got that name."

"So, each generation passed down these stories? These memories, I mean, to the next generation?" Alex asked eagerly. When I nodded, Alex laughed. "You realize you are every English or History teacher's dream?" He asked, and I laughed too.

"Kinda yeah."

"To think that your ancestor was King Arthur himself..." Alex trailed off, pondering thoughtfully.

"Yeah." I nodded, feeling kinda guilty. To be fair though, I was related to King Arthur. Just...very closely. Still, I felt I didn't deserve his praise. As King Arthur, hell yes, but as his descendant?

"What's it like? I bet that's a ton of pressure." Alex asked curiously, and I chuckled.

"You have no idea." I still had to find Merlin...

"Well," he glanced at the clock, "I actually need to get out of here early, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Maybe you can start changing my misinterpretations."

"I look forward to it." I nodded, and he left the room.

What had I just done?

"So, who came up with the name 'The Knights of the Round Table', if it wasn't King Arthur?" Alex asked me the next day.

I had talked to Morgana and Gwaine right after I had left Alex's room yesterday, and they had both verbally abused me for about an hour. After Morgana finished swearing at me, she ordered me to keep up the deception, and to tell him true stories, whatever he asked. As she said, if we ever needed a teacher on our side, he would be that teacher, and this would prime him for if we ever needed to tell him the full truth. So here I was, telling him the stories of Camelot from my view in third person. Yup, this would be interesting.

"That was Merlin, actually. I mean, King Arthur might've called them that at one point, but afterwards, Merlin kept teasing them with that name, and it stuck, I guess." I answered.

"And Merlin, he wasn't some great advisor to the King? He was his," Alex wrinkled his nose, "servant?"

I smirked. "And a rubbish one at that. He would never stop talking, he always called the king a prat, or a clotpole, and he was as insubordinate as hell."

"And the king never knew he had magic? That just doesn't make sense to me." Alex pondered, and I tensed.

"That was the time period. Arthur had had the theory that magic was evil burned into his thoughts by his father, Uther, ever since his birth. Although you couldn't say Arthur was thrilled with the idea of persecuting all those with magic - especially the Druids or children - most of the magic users he came into contact with were evil, and meant to harm him or the ones he loved. So magic remained banned, and all known sorcerers were executed. Merlin had to keep his magic secret from everyone except Gaius, the court physician, and Lancelot, who had seen Merlin using magic once but kept his secret." I explained.

Alex tilted his head. "Did the king ever find out? I mean, how long did they know each other?"

"Arthur only found out the night of his death, but he accepted Merlin." I reminisced.

"But why? If he had been so bent against the practice of magic, what could have convinced him otherwise?" Alex asked, obviously missing the big point.

"Because Merlin meant everything to Arthur." I answered shortly. I pondered my words, voicing my thoughts aloud. "They had known each other for years and years. They weren't just servant and master, but friend and friend. Both would willingly sacrifice themselves for the other; each of them did at some point. Merlin...he always acted like an idiot, but there were times when he would show such...mind-blowing wisdom and bravery. He never left Arthur's side, always having his back whether it was at feasts, hunting expeditions, battles, or missions. They were like..." I trailed off, a weird feeling coursing through me.

"Like what?" Alex asked. When I remained silent, he waved a hand in front of my eyes. "Arthur?"

"Um, what?" I started, looking at him.

"You spaced for a moment. You said, "King Arthur and Merlin were like—", and then you stopped." Alex informed me.

"Like, um, brothers." I quickly finished my sentence, ignoring how the words sounded wrong to my ears.

"But what if Merlin only stayed by Arthur's side to help him with his destiny? Did Merlin feel like they were brothers, or was he just doing his duty?"

"How dare you? Of course Merlin felt the same! How could you suggest anything else? No man has ever stayed by another for years purely for the sake of duty! Merlin would've done anything for Arthur. He sacrificed his own life hundreds of time for Arthur." I ranted angrily, and Alex tried to pacify me.

"It was simply an academic question, Arthur, okay? No need to get angry...which I'm noticing you tend to be a lot. School might be over, and this may not be exactly school-related, but I'm still your teacher and elder, and you need to learn some respect." Alex pointed out, and I tensed once more.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just, Merlin is a very tense subject in my family. We all wish Arthur could've had the opportunity to really get to know the magical Merlin before he died." I told him.

Alex nodded. "I get that, I really do. Just...try to keep it cool. And don't call me sir. I'm only 28, I'm not some old general."

At this, I chuckled. "Alright. I just ask that, in turn, you respect the fact that there might be some subject we talk about that I will be touchy about."

"Okay. I can live with that." Alex nodded again, and everything went back to normal.

A few months passed by without much notice. Gwaine, Morgana, and I still searched for Merlin to no avail, Alex and I still talked nearly every day after school, Morgana still hung with those brainless (except for Katie, she was slightly smart) girls, and Gwaine and I still hung out all the time, training and talking. Nothing changed, but I was getting more and more restless. One day, Gwaine finally asked me about it.

"What are you bent on?" He asked me as I paced my room.

We were hanging in my room as Morgana had her 'friends' downstairs for a movie night, and, in a moment of silence, I had gotten up from the chair I'd been lounging in.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to fake my way out.

"Cut the crap." Gwaine actually sounded serious for a moment. "You're more wound up than ever before, and that's saying something. You've been getting so for a while now, and it's my job, as your friend, to help you get out of your funk."

"It's nothing." I attempted, but Gwaine waved that aside.

"Fuck nothing. _Something_'s going on, so tell me what it is."

"I just, I wish we were closer to finding Merlin after all these months." I told him, and Gwaine nodded.

"I know, I miss the bastard too, but you've got to relax, mate. Maybe get laid." Gwaine grinned at this, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Is that seriously all you think about?"

Gwaine laughed. "I'm a guy, of course it's what I think about a lot. You know, that Katie girl is into you. She's downstairs right now, I could ask her to come up..." Gwaine trailed off suggestively, and to my embarrassment, I blushed.

Vigorously shaking my head, I replied, "_No_, no thanks, Gwaine. She's not really my type."

"Then what is your type, Arthur? I've been trying to figure that out for months, but it just keeps eluding me. Gwen, was she your type? The brown-haired, brown-eyed kind? Because I'm sure I could find you a girl like that." Gwaine pressed me, and I shook my head again.

"No, Gwaine. Truth is, I don't know what my type is right now, and I don't really feel like going out exploring. I don't have the time, either. Every second I spend here, I spend searching for Merlin. I need to find Merlin, not some random girl." I explained.

Unexpectedly, Gwaine grinned, and backed down. "Alright, man, alright." Getting up, he sauntered to my door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"I want to steal some of the girls' pizza. Though if they've already eaten it all, I might go out and grab myself one. Ah, you can come if you want to." He offered after a second.

"Nah, it's fine." I waved him on, then flopped on my bed once he was gone. Why did Gwaine and Morgana both always ask and prod me about getting a girlfriend? Didn't they understand that I didn't _want_ one? My whole existence here was centered on Merlin, and I couldn't lose focus on him. Never.

An hour later, Gwaine still hadn't come back up to my room, so I headed downstairs to see where he'd went. Unfortunately for me, while Gwaine wasn't there, all my sister's friends were.

"Hey, Arthur!" Katie chirped when she saw me, her eyes brightening slightly.

"Uh, hi, Katie. Have you guys seen Gwaine?" I asked, and Sarah turned her nose up in the air.

"No. He left about an hour ago. Said he was going out on a date with some whore." She sniffed slightly, and I raised my eyebrows.

"O-okay. Thanks. I'll, uh, head back, uh..." I jerked my thumb at the ceiling, but before I could go, Morgana's voice stopped me.

"Wait! Girls, didn't you want to invite Arthur to that thing you were talking about?" She asked them, and I flinched at her sweet, sirupy tone.

There was giggling behind me as I turned around. "Oh, yeah, well, Arthur, I'm having a party this Friday night. It's for my birthday, and we were wondering if you wanted to come. You've always been busy during our other parties, but Morgana said she thought you were open." Tara informed me.

Quickly giving Morgana a glare, I pretended to consider the offer. "I don't know. I think Gwaine and I were planning on doing something that night."

"Oh, we already invited Gwaine. He said that he was cool with it." Morgana put in before Sarah could say anything.

Faking a smile, I replied, "Great! I'd love to. Thanks so much for the invitation, Tara."

"My pleasure." She smiled at me.

Left standing there kinda awkwardly, I said, "Yeah, so...I'd better get back upstairs. Have a good night, ladies," then turned and fled.

Once I was safely in my room, I pulled out my phone and called Gwaine. "Hey, mate! What's up?" Gwaine answered cheerfully.

"Do you have something to do with this party thing?" I asked, and Gwaine laughed.

"Oh, yeah, sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Why are you and Morgana forcing me to go to this party?" I demanded, and Gwaine sighed heavily.

"Mate, we need you to get out there more. All you do is talk to Mr. Browning, me, Morgana, and occasionally Katie. People are starting to notice, so Morgana figured if we went to a party, it'd ease people's suspicions." Gwaine tried to explain to me, but I didn't accept it.

"People's suspicions? What, some kid doesn't talk too much, oh, he must be King Arthur?" I asked sarcastically. Gwaine unwillingly chuckled.

"Maybe not that drastic, but people do notice things." I heard a muffled female voice on the other end, then Gwaine came back on. "Look, mate, I've got to go, but we are going to that party next Friday night, and I'm not gonna hear any more complaining from you." With that, he hung up.

Groaning, I flopped on my bed. God. A roomful of silly, hormonal teenagers, terrible 'pop' music, and worse dancing. Save me...

**A/N: Hey y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to the party! I'll just say, some interesting things go down there! :) Also, the more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will come out...!**

**Also, thanks again to my beautiful beta, TruffleHead, who is completely and totally awesome! She's such an amazing beta, and is an enormous help!**

**See y'all soon! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next Friday, I went to Alex's room after school as normal, only to find him talking to Morgana.

"Morgana?" I exclaimed in surprise, stopping in my tracks.

They looked up from their conversation to glance up at me. "Oh, hi, Arthur. Your sister stopped by a few minutes ago to introduce herself to me." Alex explained.

Walking cautiously forward, I asked my sister, "Don't you have cheerleading right now?"

"Tara got it canceled for today so she could prepare for the party tonight. The coach apparently wasn't feeling well anyway, so she agreed quickly. Besides, Tara's one of her favorites." Morgana explained.

"Morgana and I were talking about Camelot, actually." Alex put in, and I glanced nervously at Morgana's face, which remained expressionless.

"What about?"

Morgana answered before Alex could. "My namesake, actually."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows, and Alex nodded.

"Yeah. I figured she might know a little more about her, seeing as she was named after the witch. Maybe, when your parents were telling you about King Arthur, they told Morgana an extra story or two about her namesake." Alex remarked.

"Yes, that often happened. As a young child, Arthur just adored hearing about King Arthur and the knights, but I always found Morgana much more intriguing." Morgana commented, and I sat down on one of the desks, copying Morgana's posture.

"I'd love to hear a few stories, if you have the time." Alex smiled eagerly. "Arthur hasn't really mentioned Morgana much."

"Really?" Morgana's gaze sharpened as she looked at me. "Whyever not, Arthur?"

Alex answered before I could. "He mentioned once that his family, your family, was always unhappy King Arthur couldn't do more for his half-sister."

"Well, that's true." Morgana allowed. "However, father always said there wasn't much that _could_ have been done for Morgana."

"How so? I don't remember father ever saying that to me." I noted, and Morgana smiled sadly.

"I think you were talking to mother at the time. But, yes, Morgana always seemed to me to be a lost cause." Morgana continued, turning to Alex. "I'm sure Arthur has told you all about the laws regarding magic at the time, correct?"

"Correct." Alex nodded.

"Well, Morgana had always had these terrible nightmares. She would wake up, night after night, screaming. The court physician, Gaius, gave her sleeping drafts, but they never worked. The only thing that ever cured her nightmares was a charmed healing bracelet that her sister, Morgause, gave her. But that's another story. Anyway, what Morgana didn't know was that she was actually a seer, although she soon figured it out when her nightmares starting coming true. After that, she found out that she had magic. Merlin," I flinched, and she shot me a quick warning glance, "found out and sent her to the Druids. He believed that they could help her. However, King Uther believed Morgana to have been kidnapped, so Morgana was forced to come back. Now, knowing she had magic, it became even harder for her to watch the persecution of those with magic. This led her to hate Uther deeply." Morgana took a deep breath, and I watched her nervously as Alex lapped this up.

"Hate is a powerful thing. It consumed Morgana, turned her into something the old Morgana would have hated." Morgana paused. "I believe that if Morgana could have looked back on her life after she died, she would have recognized the error in her ways and tried to change herself for the better." She finished softly.

"Wow." Alex whistled. "You really get her, don't you?"

Smiling (a real smile for once), she nodded. "I'd like to think I do."

Alex nodded. "I really admire how connected you guys are to your family history. It's...refreshing, amidst all the students who just care about their looks, reputation, and friends."

Morgana and I rolled our eyes in sync. "Tell me about it. I hate all the posturing and posing of today's age." I deadpanned

"Time have certainly changed since Camelot's age." Morgana agreed, then turned to Alex. "Well, it was lovely meeting you, but I must go help my friend set up for her birthday party."

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry for taking up your time. Please feel free to come by whenever to chat. Arthur does." Alex invited her, and she smiled genuinely again.

"Thank you. I'm sure I will. I do enjoy talking about Camelot, and only have Arthur to do so with."

"Well, swing by whenever. I'm usually here." He chuckled, and I hopped off my desk.

"Well, we'd better be off, Morgana. See you on Monday, Alex!" I shook hands with Alex, then we left.

Once we had turned into a different hallway, I asked Morgana, "Why did you introduce yourself to him?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to see why you talked to him, if he could be trusted, the like. Besides, you've known him for months, it was time I checked in."

"And?" I prodded, but she remained silent.

Halfway home, I finally got my answer. "I can see why you talk to him." Morgana commented to me in the car.

I nodded slowly. "He's a good man."

"He is." She agreed. "He will make a good ally, if ever we need one."

"He makes a good friend." I added. Morgana didn't reply.

Once we got home, Morgana changed into a fitted, sparkly dress and heels. "I'm going over to help set up, okay? I'll see you there at eight, and don't forget to dress well. Oh, and pick up Gwaine!" She reminded me.

"Got it. We'll probably grab something quick for dinner beforehand." I replied, and she nodded.

"Good. Okay. I'll see you at eight." With that, she left.

I didn't change before I picked Gwaine up at 6:30. Gwaine took one look at me, shook his head, and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

He shook his head at me while dialing in a number. "Hi, I'd like to order two medium pizzas to be delivered to that big ole mansion on Main Street." He said into his phone while I looked on in confusion. "Yeah, it's my friend's house, hell if I know the number. You can't miss it though."

Gwaine turned to me. "What type of pizza do you want?"

"Um, anything. I don't care." I answered, and Gwaine nodded.

"Alright, make those two pizzas large. So two large, meatlovers pizzas. Great. See you soon." Gwaine snapped his phone shut.

"I thought we were going out to eat." I commented, and Gwaine nodded.

"We were, until I realized I'd have to teach you how to dress properly." He dragged me back to my car and threw me in the drivers seat. "Home, Jeeves." He ordered. Groaning, I started driving back home. God help me.

"So, why are we ordering pizza for here instead of eating out?" I asked once I'd pulled into my garage.

"Because I apparently have to teach you how to dress for a party." Gwaine explained.

Affronted, I looked down at what I was wearing – jeans and a t-shirt. "What's wrong with this?"

"It's boring." Gwaine stated, and I scowled.

"Well, it's not like there'll be anybody there I need to impress or something." I retorted.

"Okay, think about it this way." Gwaine got out of the car, and I followed him out. "If you knew Merlin was going to be at this party, would you go wearing that?"

After a moment, I shook my head. "Exactly." Gwaine answered, then dragged me up to my room. He went through my closet carefully, pulling out each article of clothing and either putting it in the 'maybe' pile or the 'no way in hell!' pile. Halfway through this, I went downstairs to pay for the pizza. I brought it back upstairs to my room, and Gwaine took a brief break from rifling through my clothes while he scarfed down half a pizza. Afterwards, he went right back at it.

Finally, he handed me a pair of artfully faded jeans, and a nice shirt. "Put these on." He ordered.

Obediently, I pulled on those clothes, then turned to Gwaine.

"Perfect!" He crowed.

"How is this any different to what I was wearing before?" I complained, and Gwaine cuffed my head.

"This _ensemble_," he did a fru-fru voice, "Makes you look so much hotter than the other one. Trust me. _This_ is a party-going outfit."

"Fine. Are we going now?" I asked.

Gwaine shook his head. "Nope! We gotta finish these pizzas first!" And with that, he threw himself on the remaining pizza.

When Gwaine and I (finally!) showed up, the party was in full force. Stepping past all the couples making out, we walked around until we found Morgana and Tara talking.

"And that's what I told her – oh, hi, Arthur, Gwaine!" Morgana greeted us, giving us each a huge hug.

"Hi, Tara, this is such a great party. Happy birthday!" I smiled, and she grinned.

"Thanks! I'm really glad it worked out well." Tara replied. "Oh, excuse me for a second. One of my camp friends just walked in. I'll be right back." She said quickly, then squeezed her way through the crowd towards a familiar-looking brunette. After a moment, she led the girl back to us.

"Guys, this is my friend from cheerleading camp, Kristie. Kristie, meet Morgana, Arthur, and Gwaine." She introduced us, and Kristie pointed a finger at Morgana and myself.

"You guys are dating, right? Didn't you come into the restaurant last summer? I never forget a face." She commented. Morgana and I looked at each other in shock.

"What? They're not dating, that'd be gross! They're siblings!" Tara wrinkled her nose, looking at the two of us.

Morgana took control quickly and smoothly. "Yeah, that was us. We weren't actually on a date, Arthur just said that so your friend, that hostess, wouldn't flirt so much with him." She leaned forward confidentially. "He's not the greatest with girls. It made him uncomfortable."

Kristie grinned. "Oh, that makes sense. Yeah, she can be a bit...much, sometimes."

"Tell me about it!" I agreed.

"So wait, you guys pretended you were dating so you wouldn't get flirted with by some chick?" Gwaine asked eagerly.

"Yes, Gwaine." I gritted out, and he burst out laughing, Tara joining him quickly.

"That—that's priceless!"

"Thank you, Gwaine. Why don't you go hit on some girls. I don't think you know the ones over there." I pointed at a corner, and Gwaine patted my shoulder.

"Alright, man. Have fun. Chill." With that, he sauntered off towards the ladies.

"Such a man." Tara commented, and Kristie agreed, laughing. I noticed how their eyes met, then they both awkwardly glanced away.

"So, shall we get drinks?" Morgana suggested, and they both agreed.

Unfortunately for me, no one warned me that the drinks were all spiked with vodka. All I know is that after my sixth drink, Gwaine and Morgana came over to support me. "Arthur? How many drinks did you have?"

"A lot." I slurred, and Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"You're such a lightweight, Arthur."

"And an idiot. Who doesn't know not to drink anything at a party unless you _want_ to get wasted?" Morgana complained.

Obligingly, I raised my hand. "Oh, put your hand down, Arthur." Morgana snapped at me. She turned to Gwaine. "Get him to the car. I'll say goodbye to Tara and then join you."

Gwaine nodded and began to drag me away as Morgana turned to find Tara. A few minutes later, she joined us.

"Why don't you drive him home, Gwaine, and I'll follow right behind you. It'll take both of us to drag him to his room, I think." Morgana decided, and Gwaine nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. See you in ten."

The ride home was a woozy blur for me. I remember trees whizzing by me, not-so-obnoxious-anymore pop music, and Gwaine's steady hand on my shoulder keeping me from falling on the dashboard when we stopped. Morgana pulled up right behind us and helped Gwaine carry me to my room. By that point, I was mostly incoherent.

"Okay, here we go." Morgana groaned as they finally dropped me on my bed.

"Yup. Shoes off, then bed." Gwaine grinned easily, and he moved out of my view. After a second, another blurry, but recognizable, face appeared above me.

"Merlin?" I slurred, confused, then urgent. This was my chance, this was my moment to tell him everything! "Merlin, I'm so, so, sooo sorry. Nothing was ever your fault, and you had to lie for so many years, I get it. Please come back, please?" I gripped awkwardly at his shirt, pulling him down on top of me. He felt more solid than he ever had before, but he was still Merlin! Staring (albeit unfocused) at his face so close to mine, I asked, "Fergive me? Imma prat, arro-arro-arro—" I tried to get out the last word, but couldn't. Instead, I broke the distance between our faces with a fierce kiss. This, this was what I had been waiting for. It was sloppy, to be sure, but it was _Merlin_, it was the one who meant everything to me, and he made everything perfect.

After a moment, Merlin broke the kiss. "Y-you don't hate me, do you?" I asked, trying to grab his arm as he stood up. Looking up at him, I noticed something weird. "Why your eyes brown?"

"Uh, contacts." Merlin said, but his voice sounded weird. In my drunken delirium, however, his words made perfect sense.

"Kay." I smiled up at him. He made to leave, and vanished from my view for a second. "Merlin?" I called, upset. I wanted my Merlin back.

However, it wasn't Merlin who came back, but Gwaine, looking at me in confusion.

"G-gwaine? Where'd Merlin go?" I pleaded, and Gwaine looked around wildly.

"Uh, he'll be back in the morning." He reassured me, and I smiled (I'm sure foolishly) and snuggled into my pillow.

"Good. I miss my Merlin..." With that, I fell asleep, arms wrapped around my pillow.

**A/N: Aw, don't you guys just love a good cliffhanger? ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review! They might speed up the timetable for the next chapter, and when I upload it... :)**

**As always, thanks so much to my great beta, TruffleHead! She does an amazing job!**

**I'd also like to thank my bestie, Ciel Farron, for always encouraging me, reading through my work, and telling me it doesn't suck. Cause hey, that's what best friends are for, right?!**

**Again, thanks so much for reading, and until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi again! So, for those of you who expressed confusion over the end of the last chapter, I hope this explains it. Remember, to put it bluntly, Arthur was smashed at the end of the chapter. So, without further ado, I present to you Chapter 7!**

**Oh, and in case I haven't done that disclaimer yet, Merlin, Star Trek, or anything else that this story may mention and/or allude to does not belong to me. If only.**

Chapter 7

The next morning, I woke up with a killer hangover. Last time I had drank that much, oh god, must have been with Gwaine that one time in the tavern, when all the knights and Merlin had gone...Merlin.

Bolting upright, my thoughts started to pound in my head. Merlin...damn my memory! I couldn't remember much from last night, but I had a vague memory of seeing him, of him putting me to bed. Had we found him? Where was he now?

Stumbling downstairs, I found Morgana and Gwaine eating breakfast in the kitchen, calm as could be. "Oh, Arthur, you're awake, good. How's the headache?" Morgana asked me courteously, and I waved my hand at her dismissively.

"Terrible. Was Merlin here last night?" I asked immediately, and they traded a glance.

"What exactly do you remember from last night?" Gwaine asked me, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

Wracking my poor head, I tried to remember what had happened last night. "We were at the party, we met that girl, Kristie, I had a bit too much drink, and then you two took me home. But," I shook my head, "Merlin was there, wasn't he? I remember seeing him standing above me. Did we find him?" I looked up to see Morgana and Gwaine trading another meaningful glance.

"What?" I asked, unsure of what they were reacting to.

"We should just rip the band-aid off, okay?" Gwaine said, not to me, but to Morgana.

"Fine, you tell him." She gestured at me derisively, and Gwaine blanched.

"No way! You're his sister! You tell him!" He deferred it onto Morgana.

"You're his best friend!" She argued.

"You only had to watch!" He argued back.

"Stop it!" I raised my voice, regretting the consequent harsher pounding in my head. "First, stop yelling. Second, just tell me. Morgana," I turned to my sister, "What happened? Where's Merlin? Don't sugarcoat it, just spit it out."

She took a deep breath. "Arthur, Merlin wasn't here last night."

"B-but I saw him! I remember that!" I protested, and she held up her hand.

"Do you trust us not to lie to you? To tell you the truth no matter the consequences?" She asked softly.

After a moment of consideration, I nodded slowly. "I trust you two."

"Like I said before, Merlin wasn't here last night. You were drunk, so yes, Gwaine and I took you home. We dragged you up to your room, where we put you in bed. Gwaine took off your boots, and when he straightened up, you mistook him for Merlin, probably because of how obsessed you've been lately with finding him. You apologized to him for everything back in Camelot, asked him to forgive you, which, by the way, I don't get, seeing as you guys already made up and everything _before_ you died, but then, umm..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

"Just tell me." I pleaded, and Gwaine broke in.

"You thought I was Merlin, so you kissed me, mate. Okay? _You_ kissed me, thinking I was Merlin." Gwaine informed me matter-of-factly.

Mind reeling, I sat down heavily in a kitchen chair. "What?" I asked dumbly, not believing them.

"You kissed Gwaine thinking he was Merlin." Morgana repeated. She hesitated, "Arthur, have you ever thought about how you felt about Merlin? I mean, _really_ thought about it? Because the two of you were always so close, closer than just friends, but at the time you were married to Gwen and everything, so no one mentioned it. In this day and age, however, it's perfectly acceptable..." She trailed off again, looking at me carefully.

"Y-you guys think I'm in love with Merlin?" I managed to choke out, looking desperately from Morgana to Gwaine.

Slowly, they both nodded. "It was obvious to everyone else, mate." Gwaine told me.

"And, and that's why you guys kept asking me about my type, why I never had a girlfriend; you were seeing if I knew I was in love with him?" I asked, putting it all together.

"Yeah, of course. And you described your type as dark-haired with blue eyes, if you remember." Morgana pointed out, smiling slightly.

"Face it man, you're in love with him. He's all you ever think about." Gwaine told me.

"But, but," I spluttered, "how could I be in love with _Merlin_?!"

"Why couldn't you be?" Morgana pointed out.

"Because, because he's Merlin!" I argued, and she arched an eyebrow.

"Astute observation, but what does it have to do with your ability to love him or not?" She pointed out, and I rocked back in my chair, thrown.

"Just...he's Merlin. The idiot, the goofball, the guy with the really really blue eyes, and that funny smile, and that silly neckerchief, and..." I trailed off, my heart warming just thinking about my best friend.

A moment later, the silence was broken by Gwaine trying to stifle a laugh. "Sorry, sorry, but seriously, man? You say he's your friend, yet you're talking about how beautiful his eyes are and how perfect his smile is." He teased in a high girly voice. "That's just not how it goes."

"But—" I started to say, but Morgana cut me off.

"But nothing. Answer me this question, then we can abandon the topic, okay? Just one question." Morgana proposed, and I nodded. She smiled gently at me. "When we find Merlin again, what's the one thing you want to do, the one thing you want to say to him that you never got to say to him before? Because you forgave him back then, so I don't quite see why you're still hanging on to this so much."

I thought hard, picturing myself greeting Merlin in my mind. I bowed my head. I knew the answer. Understanding, Morgana patted me on the back. "We'll find him, okay? I promise. We'll find him, and then you can tell him."

"But what if we _never_ find him?" I asked, voice breaking slightly as I finally stopped fighting the emotions that had been brewing inside me for the last few months- hell, for the last few centuries.

"Mate, we will. We're Arthur, Morgana, and Gwaine, survivors of Camelot. We can do anything." Gwaine told me strongly, then smirked. "Besides, you've always been Arthur and Merlin to me, never just Arthur. We'll find your other half, okay? Trust me."

Forcing myself to believe him, I nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Now," Morgana said, business-like again, "I have to go shopping for new clothes with Tara and Kristie, so you just take a few Advil, sleep, and then go out and do something. Don't just hang around the house."

"Yes ma'am!" Gwaine barked, mock-saluting her.

She deigned him with a cool smile before grabbing her purse and walking out the door.

"So," Gwaine turned to me with a grin, "What do you want to do?"

Looking at him for a moment in silence, I then asked him, "Does this mean I'm gay? Or bi, or whatever they're calling it these days?"

"Does it matter?" He asked me levelly, and I thought about it for a second. It had, just a second ago.

"I'm not sure." I hedged, and Gwaine nodded.

"Well, I can't tell you whether or not you're gay, bi, or whatever, but what I can tell you is that for me, it's always been about love. I've mainly loved women, but hey, I'll admit now that I had a crush on Merlin when I first met him. Never did anything about it, of course," he reassured me when I glared at him protectively, "But hey, he's a damn good looking guy, and he had so much...hope...hope and faith; mainly in you, of course, but hey, I found that incredibly attractive."

"But you were only ever friends, right?" I checked, trying not to sound too jealous.

"Yes, Arthur, you don't have to worry about me stealing away your forever love. If I had to label myself, I would be straight. It takes a special guy to turn me, and with Merlin gone, can't say I've ever met a guy like that." Gwaine informed me, and I smiled. Good. Merlin was mine.

"So basically, you're saying it doesn't matter?" I asked.

"To you, I don't think it should. It should just be you and the person you love. But I will warn you, though I'm sure you're already aware, that there will be people out there who won't understand, and will give you shit. Just ignore them, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, then looked up at Gwaine, "So why doesn't this bother you at all? I mean, most guys are kinda edgy about all of this."

Gwaine laughed. "Do I want to think about you and Merlin getting it on?" I blushed. "Hell no. But do I care that you're both guys? Same answer. To me, you've _always_ been Arthur and Merlin, and just because we're in the 21st century doesn't mean that that has to change. Anyone out there who gives you crap, they're just prejudiced, ignorant fools, and you should _never_ let anything they say get to you."

I nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Gwaine."

"No problem, mate." He clapped me on the back. "Now, you need to take some Advil - I don't know how you've been able to talk to us with that headache - then I vote pizza and movie."

"Sounds good." I agreed, and he smiled and walked toward the living room.

"Oh, and Arthur?"

"Yeah?" I turned to look at him.

He grinned. "Take a shower."

Sticking my tongue out at him (yes, yes, I know, real mature), I popped down a few Advil from the cabinet and went back to my room. The room seemed empty now, for some reason, like something important was missing. Banishing that thought from my mind, I started pulling out clothes for after I'd showered.

"So, how was your weekend?" Alex asked me on Monday.

I grinned wryly. "It was...interesting, to say the least."

"Really?" He asked, curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, just chatted with Gwaine and Morgana a bit. Gwaine forced me to go down to the movies with him on Saturday."

"What'd you see?" Alex asked, smiling.

I grinned. "That new Star Trek movie. It's amazing how into series and movies people can get, isn't it?"

Alex grinned. "I know. I'll admit to being a huge Trekkie any day. How'd you like it?"

"Oh, it was amazing! Similar to Wrath of Khan, but different enough and with enough twists to make sure it wasn't wholly predictable. And the guy who played Khan, he had the most amazing blue eyes I've ever seen!" I enthused. The whole movie, I had been struck by how much Khan's appearance of dark hair and blue eyes looked like Merlin's, not that they looked alike at all, it's just...those eyes.

Looking up from my daze, I saw Alex giving me a quizzical little smile. "But, um, Uhura was amazing, as always." I added on, kinda lamely, realizing I had just gushed about a _guy_'s eyes to my teacher. Not good.

"Yeah, Uhura and Spock were always my favorite characters, them and Sulu, probably. I found it very interesting how in this universe, they have them dating. But it works, I suppose." He laughed, and I chuckled along, trying not to sound too uneasy.

"Yeah..." I trailed off, and Alex smiled again.

"So I thought about something over the weekend that I really wanted to ask you." Alex abruptly changed the subject.

After I nodded, he asked, "I know you say that magic was real and everything back then, and that your ancestors have passed down that truth, but do you actually believe it? I mean, magic's the stuff of fiction now. Most people think that what they called magic back then was just science, that Merlin was just a great scientist ahead of his time."

"What do you think?" I shot the question back at him, wanting to hear his opinion before I told him mine.

He smiled slightly. "I'm more inclined to believe in the science theory, as it seems the most realistic, yet I'm not sure how everything Merlin was said to have done could have been done by science. Haven't you said he could lift things up with merely a flick of his eyes and things like that?" Alex shot the ball back into my court.

"He could. I remember his eyes flashing gold, then two bandits suddenly flying back, even though he hadn't touched him." Alex gave me a slight look, and I realized my mistake. "I mean, I remember my father telling me that story." I corrected hastily, heart jumping.

Alex dismissed my hiccup. "So you believe he had magic?" Alex prodded, wanting a clear answer.

"He not only had magic, he _was_ magic. He was Emrys, the greatest warlock the world has ever and will ever see. As much as I'd love to put it all down to science, Merlin had magic." I informed him, and he cocked his head to the side.

"So you believe in magic, then." He stated, and I nodded.

"Yes, I believe in magic, though I prefer to say that I know magic exists. Now, I don't believe in all that modern crap, of course." I added, and he nodded. "Most of those stories are just that, stories. Harry Potter was just a fiction character, Magnus Bane never existed, and Tinkerbell sure as heck was never real, but magic does exist. Think of it more as a force of nature that some are born with and some aren't. Merlin just...was."

"I see. Have you ever met anyone with magic in today's times? Do people still possess those sorts of powers?" Alex asked.

Hesitating, I nodded. "I've only met one person here that practices magic, but they might be the only one. See, magic has pretty much died out, due to people's lack of understanding of it. It takes practice and hard work to become a sorcerer unless you were born with an immense power like Merlin's. Most people won't recognize it, so it'll just lie dormant in them for their whole lives."

Thankfully, Alex didn't press me as to who I knew who could practice magic. I wouldn't have told him it was Morgana, but I didn't want to have to lie to him.

"That's really interesting. I'll have to think about that. I guess, as a man set firmly in the today, I have a natural disbelief of magic." Alex said, and I smiled.

"It's hard to believe unless you see it." I agreed.

"I bet...I bet." Alex mused. "Well, I've got to run, Jackie can't pick up the kids today."

"Oh, of course." I smiled, then added, "You know, I'd like to meet Kate and Rory sometime."

"Yeah, that'd be great! I'm sure they'd love that. I sometimes tell them the stories you've told me. I think they think you're King Arthur in the flesh or something." Alex laughed, and I chuckled along nervously.

"That's so funny! But hey, I won't hold you up." I stepped out of his way, and he gave me a smile.

"See you tomorrow, Arthur!"

**A/N: So, did that explain everything? I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any other questions, feel free to review and ask me! Or just review and tell me if you liked this chapter...review? **

**Thanks so much to all my readers and my lovely beta, TruffleHead. ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hiya there! So, here's the next chapter. I think you guys will enjoy this one! ;)**

Chapter 8

About a month after I had realized I was in love with Merlin, it happened. I had never given up my search for Merlin; if anything, I had only grown more obsessed, if that was possible, but I had started to feel it weigh me down. I _needed_ to find Merlin, my love, but in this world, he was just one of millions, billions.

That was, until the day he walked right back into my life.

It started out small. The day before, Alex had told me that there was a new student coming to Springfield High, and that as he had most of his classes with me, so administration hoped I could show him around, be his guide for the first few days. I agreed, of course, as a favor for Alex, but couldn't say I was looking forward to carting around some poor kid forced to move midterm.

However, that day, I was sitting in my first block, English with Alex, when someone knocked on the door a few minutes into class. Alex went over to open the door, and my jaw dropped. There was Merlin, looking exactly as he had the first day he arrived in Camelot. Next to me, Gwaine stiffened, his hand reaching out to grip my arm tightly.

Merlin turned his nervous eyes on the class, and I felt his glance float over myself and Gwaine, resting lightly on my face for a second more than anyone else's. "So, class, we have a new student today! He'll introduce himself, maybe tell a little about himself, so please give him your full attention."

Merlin had my full attention.

He glanced around the class again. "Hi, so my name is Merlin, Merlin Rhys. I just moved to the States from Wales, with my mom and dad. No siblings, no pets, unfortunately. So yeah, just kinda here to learn, I guess." He concluded kind of awkwardly, and I had to stifle a laugh. There was the Merlin I remembered, the Merlin from even before I knew he had magic.

"Well, we're happy to have you here, Merlin. And hey, another with an Arthurian name, that's always welcome in this class!" Alex grinned, winking at me. When he saw my frozen face, he faltered for a second, then got back on track with teaching. "So, Merlin, we've been reading _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austin, which I assume you've read."

Merlin nodded.

"Great! Basically, since the whole class has already read it, all we do is have class discussions on the characters, themes, all that stuff. So, why don't you take a seat, and you can share books with someone until I can get you a new one, okay?" Alex said kindly, and Merlin nodded.

It was so strange, seeing him this...acquiescent to everything. In Camelot, he had always resisted, complained, and refused to conform. Even as I watched him after I died, he still had remained the stubborn man I had always known. Now, it felt wrong to see him so agreeable.

Fate was smiling on me that day, as the only open seat was next to me, and a few seconds later, Merlin settled into it. Gwaine slowly released my arm, trying to look normal.

Shoulders hunched, Merlin glanced around the room. His eyes rested on me for a second – I could feel them appraising me. I wondered if he felt anything, or if those memories really were all gone. Even if they were, I'd find a way to get them back, I knew it.

"I'm Arthur." I said without turning, and he started slightly.

"W-what?" He turned towards me.

Tilting his way, I gave him a smile. "My name's Arthur. It's nice to meet you." I held out my hand, and he shook it hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Merlin, as you already know." He smiled awkwardly, and I tried not to stare. How could anyone be so beautiful...?

"Yeah. New guy at school, I know how terrible that is. I was new at the beginning of the year." I added when I saw his questioning look.

He nodded. "How is it here?"

"It's good. It's a fair school. Alex, Mr. Browning that is, is an excellent teacher, probably the best in the school. The other teachers are great too, though, and most of the students are nice, if not the smartest people in the world." I laughed slightly at his answering smile.

"Yeah, I know all about that sort of thing." He smiled.

"What classes do you have?" I asked, thankful for easy conversation.

In response, he gave me his schedule. Looking over it carefully, I grinned. "What?" He asked, curious.

"We have very similar schedules." I explained, handing his back to him. "The only classes we don't have together are fourth after lunch, and sixth, the last block."

"I have art, then a free block. What do you have?" He asked.

"Free block, then French." I answered.

"That's great." He smiled, then looked down, smile faltering. "I'm glad I'll have a friend in most of my classes."

Before I could answer, Alex called on me with a question. After I answered, I shot Merlin a quick smile, which relaxed him slightly. I spent the rest of class trading glances with Gwaine and peeking at Merlin.

At the end of class, Alex called for me and Merlin as everyone was leaving. "Merlin, Arthur!"

"Yeah, Alex?" I asked, going up to his desk with Merlin.

"As I'm sure you've guessed, Merlin was that new student I told you about. The one administration was hoping you could show around?" He reminded me, and I started. I'd totally forgotten that.

"Oh, yeah, of course! I was already planning on doing that." I told him, and I saw Merlin smile slightly next to me.

"Great! Well, Merlin, Arthur is one of my top students, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask him or me anything." Alex spoke to Merlin.

"Thank you, Mr. Browning." Merlin nodded his head slightly, and I smiled to myself.

"Well, you guys better be off to class now." Alex waved us along, and I guided Merlin out of the class. Walking along the hallway, Merlin seemed to find everything interesting, which I found so endearing.

We managed through our next classes, then headed to the cafeteria. Glancing around nervously, Merlin asked, "Are you sure we have to eat here?"

"It's what I usually do. Why, do you not like cafeterias?" I asked, confused.

"Just, um, bad experiences." Merlin answered shortly, refusing to say another word about it. I sat him down at my usual table, and we were a few minutes into lunch when I saw Morgana look over at us, stop, and stare. She started coming over, and a second later, she was at our lunch table.

"Merlin!" She gave him a big hug, then let him go quickly.

"Um, hi? Who are you?" He asked, confused.

I saw a flash of hurt in her eyes before it was masked with fake enthusiasm. "Morgana, Arthur's sister."

"Do I know you?" He asked, still extremely confused.

"Yeah, we met over the summer, remember?" She asked, and I recognized what she was doing – seeing if the direct approach worked at all.

"Um, no, I was in England during the summer." He corrected her, and she smiled.

"Oh, sorry, I must have thought you were someone else. Well, it's nice to meet you, Merlin." With that, she sauntered back to her table.

"That's your sister?" Merlin asked, and I nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, she's a bit of a handful. Sorry for that, by the way, she's a bit enthusiastic sometimes."

Merlin shook his head. "No worries." A few seconds later, he tilted his head to the side. "But, wait, how did she know my name?"

Caught, I shrugged. "Maybe she heard someone say it earlier?"

"I see." Merlin looked unconvinced, but let it go.

Gwaine came to sit with us a moment later. Giving me a clap on my back, he smiled down at Merlin. "Hi! I'm Gwaine, Arthur's friend. I'm in a few of your classes."

"Nice to meet you." Merlin smiled nervously up at Gwaine.

"So, you're from England, right?" Gwaine checked, and Merlin nodded.

"Wales, technically, but I just moved from London, actually." He answered.

"Cool. So, do you have a boyfriend?" Gwaine asked genially. Shocked, I turned to Gwaine, then to Merlin.

Merlin's face turned a ghastly white. "W-why would you ask that?" He asked sharply, chin tucking into his neck, drawing himself in close.

"It's just a question, mate." Gwaine looked at him curiously, then hurriedly assured Merlin, "It's no big deal."

Merlin looked from me to Gwaine, spat out, "Stay away from me," before hurrying out of the cafeteria.

"What the fuck was that?" Morgana was by our sides in a flash.

"This _idiot_ just asked Merlin if he had a boyfriend in England." I pointed at Gwaine, who was extremely shocked by this point.

"What were you thinking?" Morgana rounded on Gwaine.

"What, I used to always ask him that!" He tried to defend himself.

"Times have changed, Gwaine. You can't just automatically assume someone's gay." Morgana lectured him, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I know that, but this is Merlin we're talking about! Merlin! I know for a fact that Merlin was gay, so what's the big deal?" Gwaine protested.

"Obviously, he's not comfortable about it without his old memories." I informed Gwaine.

Morgana stepped in. "Think about it this way, okay? While we're all settling in here, Merlin is left with no memories in England. He meets some blonde and they start to date. At one point, Merlin and his boyfriend are bullied and harassed by people for being gay. Because of this, said blonde dumps Merlin. Merlin, brokenhearted, decides to move to the States, and here he is." She painted a picture for us.

"Is that true?" Gwaine asked, now serious.

Morgana nodded. "I saw an article in the London Times about a month ago. It didn't have a picture, however, so I dismissed it."

"I'm gonna go after him." I told them, then rushed out of the cafeteria after Merlin.

**A/N: So...what did you think? Does this answer all of your questions about when Merlin will come in?! I hope it was a suitable entrance! The next chapters are gonna be a little more difficult to write, so I may not update for a few extra days...I hope that's fine! Thanks for staying with me! :)**

**As always, I'd love to shower thanks on my lovely beta, TruffleHead!**

**Until next time, people!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I found Merlin walking through the halls after a minute or two of searching. Upon seeing me, he stiffened. "I guess that's the worst part about being the new kid," I tried to lighten the atmosphere, "You don't really have a good place to storm off to."

He laughed, despite his obvious attempt to hold it back. "Yeah, it kinda sucks." He agreed.

"Listen, Gwaine was just being a dick. He wasn't teasing you, or calling you gay, or anything like that. It's just an in-joke between the two of us, okay? We're all good people, not homophobic assholes, don't worry." I tried to soothe Merlin, but he just shook it off.

"That's what homophobic assholes generally say. Then they beat you up." Merlin snapped, and I paused.

"Did something like that happen to you?" I asked carefully. Looking away from me, Merlin nodded slowly.

Putting my hand on his shoulder, I told him, "I'm incredibly sorry something like that happened to you. You didn't deserve it."

Merlin looked me directly in the eye. "Thank you, Arthur. You seem like an amazing person," I smiled, "But," he shrugged off my hand, "I don't want to ruin your reputation or whatever at this school, and by hanging around with the gay English kid, you will. So, thank you for showing me around, but I can figure out my way from here."

With that, he started to walk away, but I caught his arm. "What?" He asked, jerking around.

I laughed, and he stared at me incredulously. "What the fuck do you want?" He asked again.

"Very cute, the whole noble gesture and all that, but you're not getting away from me that easily. I'm sorry, but you're now officially my new best friend, and best friend rules mandate me showing you around for the rest of the day." I informed him, wondering what I was saying as the words came out of my mouth.

He stared at me for a second. "You realize you're crazy, right?" He finally asked, and I grinned.

"Yes, I do, actually."

He gave me a wary look. "Just so long as we're clear. So, um, where's the art room?"

Throwing my hands in the air, I grinned and declared, "Haven't got the foggiest! Never taken art, you see. What's the number?"

"287." Merlin checked his schedule.

"Oh, that means it's right by the computer lab. I know where that is. Let's go!" And with that, I pulled Merlin by the arm to his next class.

I convinced the art teacher, a Ms. Harrison, to let me stay in art class for the day by letting her call my study teacher, and administration. After I got approved, she gave me a stool, a piece of paper, and a pencil, sat me next to Merlin, and pointed at the paper. "Draw." She ordered.

Giving her a cheeky grin, I answered, "Yes, ma'am!"

About five minutes later, I admired my stick-figure's misshapen potato head. "You really suck at drawing, don't you?" Merlin asked rhetorically, looking over my shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Next van Gogh, right here!" I joked, nudging Merlin with my shoulder. He stiffened at the contact, then relaxed after a second.

"I'm sure." He laughed.

"Well, let's see yours then, Mr. Perfect!" I reached over to pick up Merlin's drawing, and froze. Not only was the drawing oh-so-realistic, but it was also a scene I knew, I _remembered_, well – Excalibur in the stone that Merlin had put it in.

When I didn't say anything, he shifted slightly, "Um, I saw it in a dream last night. Generally, when I have weird dreams, I tend to draw them."

Seeing my opportunity, I commented, "Have you ever heard of Camelot, Knights of the Round Table, and all of that?"

"It sounds familiar." He shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just that that looks just like one part of the myth. You know, the Sword in the Stone." I informed him.

He looked confused. "That sounds really familiar, but I don't really know what you're talking about."

"Well, um, I'll explain. We're gonna learn all of this in Mr. Browning's class later in the year, but here's some background." I started. Merlin nodded, so I continued. "Way back when, in England, there was a prince named Arthur. He was really arrogant, and kind of a prat. In Camelot, his kingdom, magic was outlawed, and his father, King Uther, executed anybody who practiced or associated with someone who practiced magic. Then, there was this boy, Merlin," Merlin started when I said his name, "Who was a young warlock. He was the most powerful warlock the world had ever and would ever see, but he had to keep it hidden. He became the prince's manservant, and they became good friends, despite the fact that Merlin had to hide his magic from the prince. Merlin saved Arthur's life many times, but never got any gratitude or thanks—he had to do it all in secret."

"But why would he stay in Camelot with Arthur if magic was illegal?" Merlin interjected, and I smiled.

"Because it was his destiny." Merlin looked confused. "You see, this Prince Arthur, who would later become King Arthur, was destined to unite the land and restore magic to Camelot and Albion. Merlin's destiny and fate were to protect Arthur, and if he failed, magic would never be legal again."

"I see." Merlin nodded. "So, where does this sword come into it?"

"Well," I grimaced, "Arthur had a half-sister named Morgana. King Uther had had an affair with her mother once, but the mother never told Morgana or her husband. Morgana's supposed-father, Gorlois, died in battle when Morgana was young. As King Uther and Gorlois had been friends, Uther took Morgana in as his ward. However, Morgana found when she was older that she had magic. She had always had terrible nightmares that sometimes would come true, but her magic soon developed, and there was nothing she could do about it. She began to hate Uther and his blind hatred against magic. Later on, she also found out that Uther was her father, which only made her hate him more. In the end, she turned evil, and sought to destroy Camelot, kill Uther, and legalize magic, but her hate made her blind. At one point, she did seize control of Camelot for a little while. Merlin took Arthur out to the forest, where he had put that sword in that stone. The sword, Excalibur, was special, magic, forged in a dragon's breath. Merlin had put a spell on the sword, that only the true king could pull the sword from the stone." I paused, taking in a deep breath.

"What happened next?" Merlin asked, hanging onto my every word in a weird fascination.

I smiled. "Arthur managed to pull the sword from the stone, and he reclaimed Camelot with Merlin by his side."

"That's kind of funny that our names are the same." Merlin smiled slightly, then wrinkled his nose. "I get that coincidence, but what about you and Morgana? Why would your parents name you that?"

Laughing slightly, I lied, "Our parents loved the Arthurian legend."

"Cool. That must be why you know it so well." He laughed along, and I smiled.

"Must be." I agreed, then turned back to his picture. "So yeah, that looks exactly like the legend."

Scrutinizing his picture, Merlin turned to me and shrugged. "Like I said, just a dream. But hey, it's a funny coincidence."

He turned back to his picture, shading in the rock, as I stared at the side of his head. "Yeah, it sure is." I commented softly.

After Physics (Mrs. Grayson loved Merlin), I showed him where his study was before I went off to French. I could barely pay attention today, wondering what Merlin was doing right now, what he thought about me. The moment the bell rang, I hurried over to Merlin's study, getting there just as he walked out the door. "Hi!" He seemed happy to see me, and I smiled.

"Hi! So, um, school's over, obviously, but what do you usually do after school?" I asked him, and he shrugged.

"Nothing really. I'm not the biggest sports fan or anything. I figured I'd walk home, or to the library." Merlin answered.

"Well, what about this?" I proposed. "I generally talk to Alex, Mr. Browning, that is, for a few minutes after school, then go home or out for coffee, so if you want, you could come with me, ask Mr. Browning anything you need to, then I can give you a ride home. How far away is it?"

He shifted slightly. "I don't want to be a bother. It's only three miles away."

"And you wanted to walk that? That would take you at least 45 minutes! No way, I am now your official driver. Anywhere you wanna go, I'll take you. Three miles in which direction?" I asked.

"Main street. I live at 2135 Main Street." He answered, and I laughed. "What?" He asked, confused.

"You live about half a mile down the road from my house." I informed him, and he smiled in understanding. "Now you're never getting rid of me, mate! So, carpool it is?"

Hesitating for a fraction of a second, Merlin nodded, "Carpool it is."

"Okay, so, Alex, possibly coffee or library, then home. Let's go!" I said, then led him back to Alex's room.

"Hi Alex!" I greeted my teacher cheerfully as I entered his room.

"Hi, Arthur, Merlin. I was wondering if you'd show up today, or if you'd show Merlin around more after school." Alex commented.

"Merlin actually lives just half a mile down the road from me, so I figured we could go chat with you, and then I could take him to the library or coffee or something. We're gonna be carpooling buddies!" I grinned, and Alex looked amused. After a moment, I realized he didn't normally see me so animated – only when I talked about Camelot did I ever get so enthusiastic.

"That sounds great! I'm glad you guys are getting to be good friends." Alex nodded, looking from me to Merlin.

"Yeah, so I figured we could come here and he could ask you anything he wanted to, if he wanted to..." I trailed off, looking at Merlin.

Merlin nodded. "Yeah, is there anything I need to catch up on that I missed?"

Alex thought for a moment, then turned to me. "What was the last project or essay that we did?"

"That poster for _Pride and Prejudice_, the one on social customs at the time. We handed it in yesterday." I recalled.

Alex turned to Merlin. "Name one social custom from Jane Austin's time period."

"It was ungentle-man-like to appear in front of a lady without your coat on." Merlin said, and Alex nodded.

"Great, Arthur, who was your partner for that?" Alex turned back to me.

Seeing where he was going, I grinned. "I did that project by myself, as Gwaine wanted to do it with that auburn girl, Sophie."

"Perfect!" Alex grinned, then went to the back of the classroom where the posters were waiting to be graded. He dug around a little, found mine, pulled it out, and handed the poster and a pen to Merlin. "Name, here." Alex pointed next to mine, and, finally catching on, Merlin acquiesced.

"There you go, Merlin, that's all the make-up work you have to do! Just make sure you remember the basics of _Pride and Prejudice_, and you'll be golden." Alex informed Merlin, who smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Browning."

Alex waved a hand. "Please, call me Alex. Arthur does."

"So I've noticed." Merlin commented dryly, causing both Alex and I to laugh our heads off. When we were done, Merlin finished wryly, "Thank you, Alex."

"My pleasure. So, do you know anything about Camelot?" Alex asked Merlin, who started.

"Um, only really what Arthur told me." he answered.

Alex looked over at me. "I just gave him an overview. In art, he drew something that looked like the sword in the stone, but he didn't know the myth."

"I see." Alex looked slightly unconvinced, but he let it go. "Well, Arthur and I usually discuss the legend after school, so if you're ever around, feel free to join in, or do homework while we talk, or whatever."

"Thanks!" Merlin smiled, and Alex turned back to me.

"Now, you guys should probably be off. I'll see you both tomorrow."

"See you, Alex!" Merlin and I chorused, then laughed.

"Bye, boys." Alex chuckled, waving us off.

**A/N: How was that? Did you like that chapter? I'd love to know! Please review and tell me what you're thinking! **

**Thanks again to my beautiful beta, TruffleHead! I'd also like to thank my dearest mother for forcing me to read _Pride & Prejudice_ a few years ago. If you haven't actually read it, you should because it's amazing. It's basically a bunch of catty females fighting over guys...and who doesn't love a good pairing? Anyway, I digress...**

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, first, I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I got back from a long trip (with no internet!) and immediately dived into band camp. Yes, I can officially say I have gone to band camp! ;) Anyway, enough with my excuses. Here's chapter 10!**

Chapter 10

After a moment of discussion, we decided to go to the library before going home. I loved the library – it was my sanctuary for whenever I had to think or get away from Morgana and/or Gwaine. It felt very...weird...to show Merlin around it, even though it was a public building and everything, but if I was to let anybody see my soul, it would be Merlin.

Once Merlin had seen the whole library (and fallen in love with it – I foresaw many afternoons spent in here in the future), I drove him over to his house. It really was just down the street from mine, less than a two minute drive, or about a ten minute walk. It was a cute house: smaller than mine, but still nicely-sized, with a nice white porch, fenced-in backyard, and no cars in the driveway. "Nice house." I complimented him, and he blushed.

"Yeah, I like it."

Noticing the empty driveway, I asked the question that had been hovering in my mind for a while. "So, where are your parents?"

Merlin shrugged. "They're both very busy people, and often go away on long trips. I've always just maintained the house by myself, and made a nice dinner if they're ever home."

"When was that?" I prodded gently, and he looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"When was the last time they were home?" I asked again. Even more confusion spilt across his face.

"I-I'm not sure..." He trailed off, thinking hard.

"It's okay." I tried to reassure him, but he shook his head.

Merlin kneaded his head with his hand. "Why can't I remember?" He looked up at me, hurt in his eyes.

"Do you often forget things?" I asked him carefully, and he shook his head.

"No, I have an excellent memory." He hesitated. "I think."

"It's okay." I repeated, and he looked up at me again. His eyes were clear, but I thought I saw a flash of gold.

"Yeah, I don't really mind my parents' busy schedules. I mean, what teenager doesn't want a whole house to himself?" He laughed, throwing his arms back. With that, he jumped out of my car and ran to open the door.

I stayed a moment in my car to think it through. Of course, the spell Merlin had cast on himself must be a living thing – it must constantly alter memories and views to make sure Merlin never remembered his past. That way, in cases such as just now, no lingering doubts would be left in his mind. That was smart of him, but now it left me in a difficult situation. _What force could possibly be stronger than Merlin's magic, what force could free Merlin from his own spell?_

Merlin showed me around his house, then we settled on his couch. "Do we have any homework?" I asked, to which he shook his head.

"Naw. All our classes are so easy, I got all my homework done in my study hall."

I laughed. "Yeah, you'd think with so many AP courses, we'd be busier."

Merlin shrugged. "History, English, Science, Math, it's all so easy."

"Yeah, I often feel like I've already lived through everything, so I just know it all." I replied casually, and was disappointed when Merlin didn't even bat an eyelid.

"That's cool. I just kinda know stuff." Merlin shrugged. "I think I read a lot as a kid. So, what do you want to do now?" He asked, nudging me.

I tried to ignore the sudden warmth that radiated from the spot where he'd touched me. "Um, it's too early to order dinner, but we could go see a movie, watch TV, go to a park, shop downtown, anything you want to do."

Merlin grinned. "Can we go see that new Star Trek movie, then get pizza for dinner?!" He asked eagerly. I almost expected for a wagging tail, he looked so much like an enthusiastic puppy at that moment.

"Sure, that sounds great."

We drove to the theatre after forcing ourselves off Merlin's _incredibly_ comfortable couch. Thankfully, we lucked out – there was a showing for Star Trek: Intro Darkness in just thirty minutes. I paid for tickets, popcorn, and Junior Mints (ignoring Merlin's protest that he could pay for himself), and we settled into the theatre seats. Apart from some elderly woman in the front row, we were alone in the cinema.

"So," Merlin turned to me, "tell me more about yourself. I feel like I've told you a ton about me, but I don't know as much about you."

I smiled wryly. Unbeknownst to him, he was the one person who knew me the best in this world. "Well, you've met Gwaine, my former bestie, and my sister, Morgana."

"Are you guys full siblings?" Merlin asked suddenly, and I started.

"Yeah...why do you ask?" Could this be a memory...?

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just had a feeling or something. Maybe I did meet her over the summer like she said."

"Even though you were in England?" I raised my eyebrow at this discrepancy.

"Oh yeah..." Merlin trailed off. There was another quick flash of gold in his eyes. "I meant in the last few weeks I was in the States before I started school."

"I see." I nodded, letting it go. "Well, yeah, Morgana and I shared the same parents."

"Shared?" He asked, catching the past tense.

I smiled sadly. "Our parents died a few years ago. We lived with our uncle, Gaius, up until this year. He left us."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Arthur. I shouldn't have brought it up." Merlin instantly apologized, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay." I assured him. "I don't blame Gaius. Anyway, since Morgana and I were old enough, we decided to become emancipated minors. We had enough money to live on, and we didn't want to stay with anyone else. We didn't really have any other family, either. So, we became legally unattached to any adults and moved to the States. We wanted a new start." I told him our standard lie.

"That's very interesting. I'm sorry for all that you've been through, though." Merlin commented.

"Thanks. It means a lot." I thanked him, looking deep into those blue, _blue_ eyes.

After an awkward pause, Merlin looked away, also taking his hand off my shoulder.

"So, have you, um, seen this yet?" He asked, pointing at the screen.

"Yes, I did. It was about a month ago, though, so it's not fresh in my mind or anything." I informed him.

"How was it? Don't tell me any spoilers, though!"

Seeing the opportunity to tease him, I smirked. "Well, at the very end, Spock-"

"Don't tell me, don't tell me!" Merlin chanted, hands over his ears.

Laughing, I pulled them down. "Relax, I'm just teasing you! No, it was a really good movie. You'll enjoy it."

"Good." He mock-glared at me. "If you had spoiled it for me..." He trailed off threateningly.

"I'm sure you would have spluttered at me." I shot at him, grinning.

"Low blow, mister, low blow." He shook his head at me, unable to get rid of the matching grin on his face.

"You should see me fight." I laughed, and he smirked.

"I'm sure you're a regular hair-puller."

"I resent that!" I answered indignantly.

"Do you now?" Merlin nudged my shoulder.

"I do!" I replied.

"Prat." He insulted me, still grinning.

"Idiot." I retorted.

"Clotpole!"

"Ass!"

"Dollophead."

"Is that a word?" I asked, and Merlin shrugged.

"I don't know, but it fits you!"

From that moment on, Merlin and I were inseparable, even more so than we had ever been in Camelot. I picked him up for school each morning, we sat next to each other in every class we had together, ate lunches together, he joined my talk with Alex after school (our talks now mostly consisted of teaching Merlin about Camelot, and yes, I did understand the irony), and we went out for coffee or to the library after school. We would often go back to one of our houses for dinner, and then I'd either drive him home, or go home myself. Gwaine (and Morgana) had made up with Merlin the next day, and Gwaine often joined us after school or for movies. He and Merlin also became great friends again, though Gwaine also had his other friends (and girls).

All in all, it was a good life, except for one thing: Merlin still didn't remember our past. No hints (whether subtle or not) that we all dropped showed any sign of working. And even though Merlin and I were so close now, I still _missed_ my best friend. This Merlin wasn't the exact same, and as much as I loved (yes, loved, I could admit that freely now) this Merlin, I still loved the old Merlin, and wanted him back.

But that was the problem – even though I loved this Merlin as well, he obviously didn't love me back. Despite Morgana and Gwaine's assurances, this Merlin seemed to just want to be friends. Close friends, yeah, but still, just friends. Every time Gwaine or Morgana would make a joke about us, he'd just blush and wave it off as if it was impossible. And to be fair, they made jokes about us _a lot_. For example, on weekends, we'd spend the night watching movies, eating pizza, and talking. One time, both Morgana and Gwaine joined us on a Friday night, causing Merlin and I to share the loveseat. We started out on opposite ends, with each of us leaning against our own armrest. About halfway through the second movie, I straightened in my seat, as my side was cramping a little bit. By the beginning of the third movie, I was really, really tired (I had stayed up late last night training and taking my frustrations out on my heavybag). Almost unconsciously, I leaned over to Merlin's side. He looked a little bit surprised, but soon scooted so that I could lay comfortably against his side. Closing my eyes happily, I breathed in the scent of just _Merlin_, that was just so perfect and beautiful. A few minutes later, I felt his hand rub my shoulder, lulling me into sleep.

"Because that's not gay at all." Gwaine commented, chuckling, and I felt Merlin's hand stop. I was almost asleep, however, and was prepared to let it go.

"I _am_ gay, you know that." Merlin told Gwaine sharply, but Gwaine just laughed.

"I'm not talking about you, Merlin, I'm talking about Arthur. Sleeping on another guy?"

"What are you talking about? Arthur is straight. We're just close friends." Merlin tried to convince Gwaine, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Seriously? You still believe that? He—" Gwaine started, but Morgana's cool voice cut him off.

"Arthur cares for you a great deal, Merlin. Just, always remember that, okay?" She told him, and Merlin tilted his head to the side.

"But he is straight, right?" Merlin asked, doubt coloring his tone. Slowly, his hand started to rub up mine again.

I could almost picture Morgana's soft, soft smile. "Arthur falls in love with people, not their gender. If he's in love with you, as you are with him, you'll see it."

"I'm not in love with him." Merlin immediately defended himself, and Gwaine snorted.

"Mate, I know we don't always agree, but trust me when I say this: I know you a whole lot better than you think I do, and your eyes are betraying you right now. They do every single time you look at him."

After that comment, everything went silent, and I slipped off into elusive sleep.

About a week later, the stress just got to be too much for me to handle. So I did what everyone does when things get to be too much – yell at everybody they know. And let's just say, it didn't go well.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Good, bad, eh? I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear your feedback! Also, reviews might make me write faster...food for thought!**

**Before I sign off, though, I'd like to thank again my absolutely amazing beta, TruffleHead! She's a true gem!**

**Anyway, until next time, people!**


	11. Chapter 11

Recently on Roles Reversed:

_About a week later, the stress just got to be too much for me to handle. So I did what everyone does when things get to be too much – yell at everybody they know. And let's just say, it didn't go well._

Chapter 11

It was Friday, right after school, and Merlin and I were in Alex's room, just chatting. At one point, Alex mentioned that Star Trek movie, and Merlin grinned. "I know!" He enthused. "And Benedict Cumberbatch, oh my god, he just _made_ that movie! When he started out in that deep voice," Merlin grinned again, "it just was _perfect!_ And his eyes...you can't beat those eyes!"

"Really?" Alex asked, smiling genteelly.

"Of course! I think he's probably _the_ most attractive guy on this planet. Hands-down." Merlin decided.

While Alex just listened to this (fangirling) amusedly, it just pissed me off. "Is that all you ever talk about, cute actors?" I snapped. Surprised, Merlin turned to me.

"What? No, Arthur, of course not. I just really like him." He defended himself, and I snorted.

"Yeah, well, you don't even know the guy." Merlin opened his mouth to reply, but I just threw my hands up in the air. "You know what, forget it." With that, I stomped out.

I ran to my car, slammed the door shut, and bent over the steering wheel. Instantly, tears came, flooding down my face. Why did he have to constantly talk about all the guys he would never have when _I was right here_! He didn't even notice me that way, despite the fact that I'd _loved him for centuries_. And even if he couldn't remember those centuries, I'd consciously loved him since I met him here. Wasn't that enough? But no, _it wasn't_. Merlin would grow up here without me, marry some other bloke, and lead a happy life while I would be stuck here with Morgana and Gwaine forever. Oh God, had I really ruined it? He wouldn't want me anymore, not as a boyfriend, not as a friend. What had I done?

Going back into the school, I found the nearest bathroom. Taking a few minutes, I wiped all the tears off my face, trying to make myself presentable. From there, I went back into Alex's room, but Merlin was gone. Alex, packing up his briefcase, looked up. "Arthur." He sighed.

"Where did he go?" I asked, voice cracking, but Alex just shook his head.

"He looks up to you, you know?" He told me. "Ever since he came here, you've always been there for him. That...just hurt him."

"Where did he go, Alex." I pleaded, and he shook his head again.

"Give Merlin some time to himself, okay?" Alex clicked his briefcase closed, and started walking away. "And think about this," he turned back to look at me, "how often do you talk about girls in front of Merlin? He's never resented that of you. But Merlin's gay, so he talks about guys. If you're not comfortable with that, then you should never have become his friend in the first place."

Alex was halfway through the door when I answered, "Never."

"What?" He turned around again, a skeptical look on his face.

I squared my chin, and looked directly in Alex's eye. "I have _never_ talked about girls in front of Merlin. There's never been any girls. It's only ever been Merlin."

A confused look came over Alex's face. "What are you talkin-" He stopped, realization dawning on his face. "Really?"

I nodded sadly. "But why don't you just tell him?" Alex asked, walking back towards me.

"This is bigger than just me." I shook my head, sighing.

"What are you talking about?" Alex prodded me, and, biting my lip, I told him.

"Merlin didn't get his name just because his parents thought it'd be cool to have a son named after the warlock Merlin. He got his name centuries ago, when his eyes glowed yellow when he was born, and his mother decided to name him after the merlin bird." I explained. Alex was still confused, so I laid it out to him in the bluntest terms I could. "The legend of Merlin is true – he never died. Our Merlin, the Merlin you know, _is_ Merlin, the original warlock. He took away his memories because they were too painful for him, and now I have to help him get them back."

"What the..." Alex started, staring at me in disbelief, but I couldn't waste any more time.

"I have to go find him. But please believe me, Merlin is incredibly important, and I can't let him hate me!" I told him, then rushed out of the room, leaving Alex behind, staring at me incredulously.

Merlin wouldn't have had any time to walk to anywhere, so I drove along the roads to our houses, the library, and the coffee shop, but he wasn't there. I even tried going into his house (I knew where his spare key was), but he wasn't there. I resorted to just driving around town, searching for him, but had no luck. About three hours later, I ended up back at my house, sulking on the couch and trying to call him to no avail.

"_Hi, you've reached Merlin's cell phone. I'm not here right now, but if you leave your name and number, or just a message, I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible."_

An hour later, Morgana and Gwaine trooped inside the house together. "Merlin?" I asked, running over to the door.

"No, he's home." Morgana informed me.

"You-you've talked to him?" I gulped, desperate to hear what had happened. They both nodded. "What did he say?"

"He told us what happened." Gwaine told me. "And really, Arthur? Jealousy over a celebrity gets you nowhere."

"I know, I just couldn't take it." I hung my head.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore." Morgana replied in a strange voice, and my head snapped up.

"What? Why?"

Morgana and Gwaine led me back to the couch and sat me down very carefully. "Arthur, we told him everything." Gwaine informed me.

"E-everything? He knows I love him?" I asked, not quite grasping his meaning.

"No, we mean everything, Arthur. _Everything_. That he's actually Merlin, that he put a spell on himself, that you're King Arthur, I'm Morgana, and Gwaine is Gwaine. We told him the whole story." Morgana stressed to me.

All I could do was stare at her. Then, "Why the fuck would you do that? What were you thinking?! Now he thinks that we're all freaks from a mental hospital, or something like that!" A second later, "Wait, did he believe you?"

Morgana waited patiently for me to finish. "First, I'm not sure if he completely believed us. But it was time for him to know, Arthur. He needed to know the truth."

"So what now?" I asked.

Morgana shrugged. "You let him think about it for a few days, then you go talk to him about it. Apologize for being such a dick earlier today, try to convince him it's real if he doesn't believe you, give him space."

"Okay." I nodded, then stopped, thrown. "So what do I do now?"

"What do you mean? I just told you to leave him alone for a few days." Morgana asked, a hint of irritability creeping into her tone.

"No, I mean, what do I do _now_? What do I do without him?" I asked, and Gwaine laughed.

"Boy, are you whipped!" He commented, and I glared at him.

Morgana smiled in understanding. "What you do now is sit down, watch a sappy movie, and I'll be back in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded. She turned on Doctor Who, the show Merlin and I always watched together, then left through the garage.

Grabbing a pillow, I hugged it tightly, wishing it was Merlin. But alas, it remained only a pillow.

Fifteen minutes later, Morgana came back in, a grocery bag in hand. "What did you get?" I asked, craning my neck to look at her.

She smiled. "A tub of chocolate fudge ice cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles." She held up each item as she announced it. "I'm gonna introduce you to what girls do when they feel bad – they eat their troubles in ice cream."

Morgana took out two bowls, three spoons, and carried it all over Gwaine and me. Setting it down on our coffee table, she began spooning ice cream into the two bowls. She handed one to Gwaine, then started with another.

"Wait, aren't you gonna have any?" I asked, confused.

She looked up at me. "Of course. This bowl is for me. The rest of the tub is for you."

After fixing herself a lovely sundae, she poured syrup and sprinkles into the tub and handed it to me with a spoon. Gratefully, I accepted the ice cream. Hopefully, it would help.

I left Merlin alone for the rest of the weekend. I didn't call, text, email, Facebook message, anything. On Monday, however, I went to pick him up for school as I normally did.

He was waiting for me. Merlin, expression unreadable, climbed into the car, throwing his backpack in the backseat as he normally did.

"So," I started awkwardly, "how was your weekend?"

He glanced at me, then looked away. "Confusing."

"I'm sorry for being such an ass on Friday." I apologized. Best to get that out of the way first. "I was jealous, and just couldn't handle it anymore."

"That-that's okay." Merlin said, staring ahead. "I can understand that."

"So, um, what can't you understand?" I asked apprehensively.

"Really?" Merlin looked at me in half-annoyance and half-amusement. "I just don't understand why you think I'm a warlock, and you're some long-dead king."

"I know it's hard to believe, but I swear to you, it's true." I tried to impress on him, but he just kept staring straight ahead.

"But what proof do you have?" He asked, and I could hear a hint of desperation in his voice.

Thinking for a second, I said softly, "Before I died, I found out the truth about your magic."

"Magic I don't have!" Merlin interjected, but I continued.

"I was hesitant at first, feeling like I'd been betrayed. Then I saw how you used it to protect me, and I realized just how much you had had to suffer. The moment before I died," I swallowed thickly, "I told you to never change. To stay you, no matter what happened." I shook my head. "I guess that didn't matter after all these years."

There was silence for a minute, and we arrived at school. Parking quickly, we just sat there in the car for a second.

Then, Merlin turned to me. "Arthur, I _want_ to believe you. I want to trust you...but I don't know if I can."

With that, he grabbed his backpack, and walked into the school. A few minutes, I followed him in.

**A/N: So...yeah, that happened. Bring out the tissues? I really loved writing this chapter, and hoped you all enjoyed it too! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so if you would, please review!**

**Once again, I'd like to shower my beta with thanks. Didn't she do an amazing job? ;)**

**Until next time, people!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Merlin walked into English class just as the bell rang. Reluctantly, he slid into his usual seat next to me. Alex fixed some papers on his desk, then turned to the class. I noticed how his eyes rested on the two of us for a second longer than usual, and I slouched in my seat. Gwaine sent me a sympathetic smile. I tried to smile back. I don't think I succeeded.

"So, the time has come." Alex addressed the class, and I saw people sit up in their seats. "The big project. People, we are starting our Camelot unit today. Each group of two will choose one topic pertaining to Arthurian legend, write a research paper on it, and prepare some sort of presentation. Choose your partner carefully, as they'll be your partner for the rest of the year."

Immediately, glances around the classroom flew. It looked like everyone had already prepared, and picked out their partners. When we first heard about this presentation, Merlin and I had planned to do it together.

"Okay, once you've chosen a partner, come up here and write your names on this paper." Alex waved the paper above his head. "Then go back to your seats and list everything you already know about the Arthurian legend. You have the whole class to do so." With that, Alex put the paper back on his desk, sat down, and started grading other papers.

All at once, everyone rushed for the desk. Before I knew it, most everyone had been partnered off. Turning to Merlin, I saw he had stiffened. "I guess we're together." I said. He didn't respond. "There's no one left, Merlin." I attempted, but I got no response.

Sighing, I went up to the sheet. _Merlin and Arthur_, I wrote, marveling at how good that sounded. Gwaine came up behind me, taking the pen. "You gonna be okay?" He asked, and I gave him a look of pure desperation.

"I don't know."

I spent the rest of the lesson (after writing, '_everything'_, on a sheet of paper for the assignment), fake-reading my book, and really watching Merlin. After writing '_too much'_ on his paper, he started sketching. Fascinated, I watched as he drew the Lake of Avalon, with a hand raising Excalibur above the water.

When the bell rung, Merlin went up to Alex's desk. "Merlin, what's up?" Alex asked professionally. I could tell he was studying Merlin. Had he believed me, or did he think I was just making it all up?

"I'd like to request a change in partners for the project." Merlin informed him tightly. From behind him, I felt like I'd been slapped.

"Everybody else already has partners, Merlin." Alex commented, not giving Merlin anything, but not denying him outright.

Merlin tilted his chin up slightly. "I can work with Chelsea. She's partners with Gwaine. To be fair, they won't want to work together in about a week, once they've broken up, and Gwaine will be fine working with Arthur."

Alex surveyed him thoughtfully for a moment. His eyes slid past Merlin onto my pale face, then back to Merlin's. "I'll think about it."

"Thank you. Can I expect an answer tomorrow?" Merlin pressed slightly.

"If not tomorrow, then certainly by Wednesday." Alex allowed, and Merlin nodded.

"Thank you." With that, he hurried off to his, _our_, next class.

Before I could say anything, Alex held up a hand to stop me. "I'll talk to you after school, Arthur."

Gritting my teeth, I nodded as well. "I'll see you then."

The rest of the day was sufficiently awkward. I skipped lunch, opting for the library instead. Thankfully, no teacher commented on the ice wall between two of their normally-effusive students. Finally, the last bell rang. I hurried to Merlin's locker, where he was exchanging books. "Do you need a ride home?" I asked.

"No, thank you." Merlin answered, then walked off.

With a sigh, I headed off to Alex's room. He was waiting for me.

"What's going on, Arthur?" He cut to the chase.

"Merlin ran off, and Morgana and Gwaine told him everything; not just how I love him, but how he's actually Merlin, and now he doesn't trust me. He probably thinks I'm a freak." I summarized unhappily, and Alex shook his head.

"And that's why he doesn't want to do the project with you." Alex said.

"Yes, but you just _can't_ let him switch partners! If he does, then he'd probably never speak to me again! And if he never speaks to me again, he'll never uncover his memories, and he'll never be the real Merlin again!" I argued, and Alex held up a hand.

"But I just don't get it. I mean, I know the legends, I know you love him, and I know from you how close King Arthur and Merlin were, but why does that still matter? And besides, Merlin says he isn't that Merlin. I know that you're upset about this, but you might be wrong." Alex tried to convince me, but I shook my head.

"No, I'm certain that this is Merlin, and you don't understand, I _need_ to convince him. That's why I'm here, at this school, to get his memories back." I informed him.

"I honestly don't understand a word you're saying. You also haven't given me a single piece of evidence that indicates that this is actually Merlin." Alex retorted.

"Because he looks exactly the same!" I half-shouted, then immediately regretted it.

Alex stared at me for a minute. "What, your ancestors passed down a description? How many blue-eyed, brown-haired guys are there in the world?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"No, you don't understand. This _is_ Merlin. He hasn't changed in the last thousand years, and now he's gotten rid of his memories, and I need to help him get them back." I argued.

Alex stopped and just stared at me for a second. "Can you hear yourself? You're making no sense, Arthur. You haven't been since Friday."

Groaning, I balled my hands into fists. "How to make you understand?" I muttered, then sighed. I knew what I had to do. Suddenly, I turned back to Alex, who was still just staring at me.

"Remember so long ago, when I told you that I was King Arthur's descendant?" I asked him forcefully.

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, of course. What about it?"

"Well, I lied." I admitted, and Alex recoiled as if I'd slapped him.

"Are you serious? Then all the stories you told me were just...fake? Made up?" I could hear the hurt in his voice. He got a handle on himself, then asked, "What's so important about Merlin, then?"

"No, they were all true." I informed him.

"Arthur, I don't understand you. First you say you're a descendant of Arthur, and now you're saying you're not, yet if you're not, how could those stories be true? And even if you say they're true, then how can I believe you? You've apparently been lying to me for a while." Mr. Browning told me stiffly, and I laughed slightly. I sounded insane.

"To be fair, my lie wasn't that big. I am related to King Arthur, more closely than anyone would ever guess." I hedged, and he just shook his head.

"By this point, Arthur, I'm about two seconds from leaving. Either spit out your point or reason for lying to me, or get out of my way." Alex warned me, and my heart jumped. I had to make him understand.

"There was never any baby, Alex." I told him. "I _am_ King Arthur. I know all those stories because they're not my ancestor's, but mine. I lived through all of that. My father's death, meeting Lancelot and Gwaine, Morgana's betrayal. I died, but my spirit lived on. I've been watching the world for centuries, it's why I'm so good at school and all that – I've already seen everything that we're taught happen. I came back almost a year ago with the sole purpose of finding Merlin. So, this is me, the person you probably think is crazy, asking you to help me regain my friend's memories." I forged on, then stopped, looking at Alex.

If I wasn't so nervous about revealing myself, I would've laughed at how comical his eyes looked, wide as they were.

After a moment of silence, Alex spoke. "You're not joking, are you?"

Mutely, I shook my head.

"And you're not delusional, or crazy, or anything like that. I think I would've picked up on that by now if you were." Alex slowly decided, and I gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks."

"_You're_ King Arthur?" He checked, and I smiled.

"I'm King Arthur."

"Then, is Morgana really Morgana? Your half-sister? I thought you said she was evil, or turned evil." He asked, eyes narrowing.

"She awoke before I did. Apparently, after she died, she realized the evil in her ways, and decided to help Merlin. She used to be one of the kindest people I knew. In fact, it was partly her sympathy towards those with magic that our father persecuted which turned her evil in the first place." I informed him.

"Wow." He whistled appreciatively. "That's, um, that's a lot to take in."

I nodded. "I know it is, and I'm sorry for lying to you all this time, but Morgana and I decided that no one should know, except anyone else who came back, of course. Besides, we figured no one would believe us, and if they thought we were crazy, we wouldn't be blending in."

"I...see." Alex nodded slowly, taking everything in. "And magic still exists, like you said? I remember you telling me once that you knew someone who could still do magic. And that was before Merlin came."

Smiling, I nodded. "Morgana still practices every day. She doesn't want to become rusty, especially if she had to use magic to free Merlin's magic."

"Of course, Morgana." Alex mumbled. After a second of thought, he looked up, a kind of impish smile on his face. "Well, I did ask you for proof that you were telling the truth. While I'm 99% sure I believe you, a little proof would be absolutely perfect."

"Proof?" I played along, knowing what he wanted.

"Yes, prove to me magic exists, and I'll completely believe you." Alex decided, and I nodded.

"Let me go get my sister." I told him, then walked over to the gym, where the cheerleaders were practicing.

Morgana saw me instantly, and hurried over to me. "What's going on, Arthur?" She hissed.

Hesitating, I decided to just rip the bandaid off. "I told Mr. Browning everything. He can help me get to Merlin."

Surprisingly, Morgana wasn't that shocked. "Okay."

"Wait, _okay_? I thought you'd be mad! Blending in and all of that!" I'll admit, Morgana's response surprised me greatly.

Morgana chuckled. "I've been kind of expecting this for the past month. You tell that man _everything_." She reminded me.

"Oh." I'll admit, I was shocked. I'd half expected her to start beating me up. "Well, he believes me, but he wants to see proof that magic still exists..." I trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, fine. Actually, anything to get out of practice. This is so boring." Morgana confided in me, and I grinned.

"I got your back." I went up to the coach. "Hi, Mr. Browning sent me to collect Morgana. He has to talk to her about one of her projects." I hesitated, then added, "It may take the rest of practice."

The coach nodded stiffly. "Alright. She can leave. But if I ever talk to Alex and find out that he didn't dismiss her, you'll both be in trouble. No skipping practice for boyfriends." She warned, and I laughed.

"I'm not her boyfriend, I'm her brother, Arthur. And hey, feel free to call down to Alex's class now, if you want." I invited her.

The cloud passed from her face. "Oh, so you're Arthur. Alex always talks at lunch about how you're one of the best students he's ever taught." She informed me, now smiling.

Not sure what to do, I mumbled a quick, "Thank you," then hurried off with Morgana.

"She's scary." I muttered to my sister, who grinned.

"Tell me about it. So, is there any specific magic that Mr. Browning wants to see?"

"Not that I know of...you can ask him." I suggested, and she nodded.

"Sounds good."

We rounded the corner, and headed into Alex's room. He was waiting expectantly for us. Bouncing up when he saw us, he walked towards us. "Hi! So, um, Arthur told me everything, about how you were actually an evil witch who killed hundreds of people..." He trailed off when Morgana raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said that." He chuckled awkwardly.

Morgana smiled. "It's okay, really. Yes, I'm really _that_ Morgana, and yes, I did kill hundreds of people, but I've reformed. I'm all puppies and unicorns now!" She ended sarcastically, and I hit her arm. "Sorry, you know I had to say that!" She defended herself playfully.

"So, you can do magic, right? I mean, still do magic." Alex stumbled over his words. He was so obviously nervous and scared by her that I just had to take pity on him.

"Relax, Alex, she's not gonna hurt you. Magic is just magic. You don't need to be scared of it." I assured him.

Morgana nodded. "What he said. So, what do you want me to do? Lift up the desk, throttle Arthur, conjure a rose? I can do any of those, whatever you want." She grinned at me.

"Hey!" I cried indignantly.

Alex smiled at her jibe, obviously loosening up a bit.

"How about lifting up the desk?"

Nodding, she took a deep breath. Suddenly, her eyes flashed gold, and one of the desks, the one Merlin sat at, actually, began to float towards us.

"Holy shit!" Alex swore, falling down.

Serenely smiling, Morgana magicked the desk down. "Believable?"

"Has to be." He gasped, and, offering a hand, I helped him up. "So, you guys were recalled to life to help Merlin get his memories back."

"Yes." Morgana and I nodded.

"So I'm guessing you need to stay partners with Merlin, Arthur." Alex checked, and I nodded again.

"Yeah, that'd be good."

Alex nodded to himself, then straightened. "Okay. Thank you for telling me. I'm honored that you trust me with this information." He thanked us formally.

"You're welcome." I responded in kind.

"We'd better be off." Morgana said, turning to me. "Gwaine will be wondering where we are."

"Wait, is Gwaine also from Camelot?" Alex asked, surprised.

I smiled. "Yup. Same old Gwaine. At least there's a drinking age now."

"Wow. He, um, blends in well." Alex whistled, and Morgana and I traded glances.

"That he does." She agreed delicately. "But as I said, we'd better be off. It was nice to see you again, Mr. Browning. I'll try to stop by again soon. I'm sure you have questions about my past life."

"Thank you." He nodded.

We turned to go and were almost at the door when he called, "Arthur?"

"Yeah?" I turned back.

Alex smiled, semi-awkwardly. "How long have you known you loved him? I mean, did you know back in Camelot?"

I smiled. "Not consciously. Morgana and Gwaine helped me realize it about a month before we found him."

"I see." Alex nodded, then waved us off.

Morgana slid her arm into mine, leading me away. "If only Merlin was so easy to convince." I muttered.

Morgana nodded slowly. "If only." She murmured.

**A/N: Hi again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please review and share your thoughts! Thanks again!**

**Also, thanks again to my great beta, TruffleHead!**

**See you guys next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hiya, people! So, unfortunately, this is the last chapter of Roles Reversed. There will be a very short epilogue, but after that, I feel like the story has run its course. But, I think this chapter might just make up for that! ;) Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

I went to pick up Merlin as usual the next morning, but, not surprising, he wasn't there. He must have either asked someone else for a ride or walked. Or maybe he biked. I knew he had a bike, though I'd never seen him on it before. I bet he'd look cute biking. I could picture him, riding a bike, just grinning that adorable grin of his at the world as it passed him by – okay, yeah, I need to get a grip.

Anyway, I got to English class early, just in case Merlin also showed up early. My forethought paid off. A few minutes after I sat down, Merlin walked into the room. After glancing awkwardly at me, he approached Alex's desk. "Hi, um, Mr. Browning?"

"Yes, Merlin, what can I do for you?" Alex swiveled to look at Merlin.

Biting his lip, Merlin asked, "Did you decide whether or not I can switch partners yet? I mean, if you need more time, that's totally alright." He rushed the end.

"Yes, I did." Alex nodded decisively. "I'm sorry, but yesterday's decisions are final. You and Arthur will be partners for the project."

"Oh." Was all Merlin could say, looking down, awkward and embarrassed.

Alex hesitated for a moment, trying to decide whether to say anything else. After a second, he added softly, "I'm not sure what your view is on all of this, but if I were you, I'd listen to what he says. At least give him a chance to explain further."

Merlin looked at Alex in consternation, and then nodded slowly. "Thank you for your advice." He came to sit next to me.

Everybody else filed in. After the rush of people seconds after the bell, Alex started. "Hi, guys! So, we're gonna get back to our regular stuff now, but remember, the first part of the project is due on Friday. Don't sweat it – it'll only take about half an hour in all, but that's outside of class work. That means meeting with your partner to do it, not doing it during Spanish or French. Now, let's talk Camelot."

Merlin stayed tense the entire class. Once the bell rang, he initially started quickly for the door, then reluctantly turned back. "When do you want to work on the project?" He asked.

"Whenever it's convenient for you." I answered cordially.

He hesitated for a split second. "Why don't we go to the library after school today?" He suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I'll meet you at your locker after school, okay?" I agreed.

"Okay." Merlin answered shortly before he hurried off.

"Progress." Alex remarked from behind me.

I turned to look at him, smiling sadly. "Progress." I agreed.

He gave me an answering sympathetic smile before I left for my next class (with Merlin).

At the end of the day, I met Merlin by his locker as planned. "Ready to go?" I asked, and he nodded tightly.

"Ready."

We made our way over to the library. It was fairly busy (I think the middle-schoolers had some huge project due the next day...ah, those procrastinating middle-schoolers!), so we soon found ourselves in a secluded corner on the second level. Just us, many huge stacks of books, and our work. Fun. Not awkward at all...

"So, um, what topic do you want to do for this?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I came up with a few suggestions. "We could talk about the Knights of the Round Table, how Guinevere was actually a servant, Lancelot, or Morgana. Or any topic you want to do. I'm open to suggestions."

Merlin still didn't answer. "Merlin, what topic do you want to do?" I repeated. Looking up, I saw Merlin's gaze fixed on me.

"Well, anything we do it on, you're just going to make up some big lie about it, so what's the point? We should just not do it and fail the class." Merlin proposed sarcastically, and I threw my pen down.

"We're doing this here, are we? In the library?"

"What better place? It's not like I'm ever going over to your house again, or you're ever invited back to mine. Nobody is around us here." Merlin retorted angrily, then turned his head slightly. "It's not like I'd like to have anybody else here this. No one else needs their brain polluted by your lies." He snipped.

"You know, you could be a little easier about all of this!" I cried, then tried to defend myself. "It's not that crazy, if you think about it!"

Merlin looked at me in askance. "Oh yeah, what's crazier than some legend king coming back to life and telling his best friend that he's centuries old and a warlock who lost all his memories! No, that's totally rational, isn't it?!" He retaliated.

"You're infuriating!" I gritted my teeth.

"An you're a delusional freak!"

"Ass!"

"Prat!"

"Stubborn!"

"Arrogant!"

"Clotpole!"

"Dollop-head!"

"How did I ever think I was in love with you?" I spat, mad and hurt beyond belief. This wasn't two friends trading friendly insults, this was intentional and hurtful.

"I'm not the delusional one!" Merlin replied cruelly, though I thought I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes.

"No, you're the idiot!" I retorted, and Merlin drew himself up.

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Am NOT!" Merlin yelled suddenly and his eyes flashed gold. Immediately, the bookcase behind me fell over with a huge _thud!_

There was complete and utter silence. Shocked, wary, _charged_ silence.

I stared at him. "Do you believe me now?" I finally spoke, breaking the silence.

He swallowed heavily. "You just toppled it over."

Holding my hands in the air, I replied, "You know what you just saw, and I didn't lay a finger on that bookcase."

"That was not me. You shifted backwards and knocked over the bookcase." Merlin denied, and I put my hands on his shoulders, ignoring his instinctual flinch.

"Merlin, look in my eyes." I ordered. He tried glancing away, but couldn't. "I. Am. Not. Lying. To. You." I stressed each word. "You just have to trust me like you once did. I'm telling the truth, unbelievable as it sounds. You have your proof – you just used magic. Just..." By this point, I was fighting back tears, "Can't you reach down into your heart and find that trust?"

"Even if what you say about my," Merlin swallowed, "_our_, past is true, I don't remember that trust. How can I rely on it?"

"Then what about the trust you had in me since the moment we met at Springfield High?" I asked.

"Even if I did trust you, how would I get my memory back? If I really am the most powerful warlock ever, then I'm sure the spell is powerful. I don't know _how_ to use magic, how am I supposed to break such a spell?" He pleaded with me.

Struck by a sudden memory, I looked him in the eye again. "Answer me this – before you knew all about this, before Friday, did you, I mean, were you in love with me?"

His silence was answer enough.

"Because, Merlin, I love you." He glanced up at me, then away in disbelief. "And don't people always say that love is the strongest force of all?"

"I believe that's how all the fairy tales go." He nodded slightly, not agreeing, but also not disagreeing.

"Well, I think it's worth a shot." I informed him. Finally, he looked up at me, eyes catching on my lips slightly.

"A shot." He repeated slowly, slightly confused.

Smiling, I nodded. "Just one." I murmured, pulling him in closer.

Sliding my arms around his waist, I tilted my face towards his. There was a split second of hesitation, and then his lips brushed against mine ever so softly. After a second, I deepened the kiss, feeling Merlin lean his slim body against me. The next thing I knew, he was kissing me back, and this, _this_, was what love felt like. Tightening my hold on his slim form, I pulled him even closer, feeling his hands wind through my hair. A second, a minute, a year later, I'm not sure, he broke the kiss, gasping.

Feeling empty without him in my arms, I reached towards him. "What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

He looked up at me, a light in his eyes. "Clotpole." He replied slowly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

He grinned. "Dollop-head."

"Wait, do you...?" I started, grasping his shoulders again.

His grin widened. "Prat." He confirmed.

Hugging him against me tightly, I could feel my eyes begin to tear up again. "You're back."

"I'm back." He replied, hugging me back fiercely. I could feel a wetness on my shoulder, Merlin's tears falling on my shirt.

Pulling back, I brushed my hand over his cheekbone. "I love you, you idiot."

"And I love you, you prat." He replied.

Suddenly, a librarian appeared next to us. "What happened here, if I may be so bold as to inquire?" She asked harshly.

We both looked at each other. "Ummm..." She didn't look happy.

"Freak earthquake?" I suggested.

"Robbers?" Merlin put forward.

"Rabid bunny rabbits." I submitted.

"Magic!" Merlin proposed.

"Very funny, boys. Clean it up, now! I'll come back in half an hour, and it better be done by then! I do hope you boys know your alphabet!" She gritted out before stomping off in a huff.

Merlin and I looked at each other, then started laughing uproariously. Merlin snapped his fingers, his eyes glowed gold for a second, and the bookshelf flew back into shape. "So, we have half an hour." He turned to me, eyes glinting.

Pulling him against me, I asked rhetorically, "Whatever shall we do?"

**A/N: …...so...any thoughts? I hope you guys liked this story and its ending! It's been my pleasure to write this, and I'm so glad and touched that you all enjoyed reading it! Like I wrote in my earlier author's note, there will be a short epilogue that will probably go up later today. I'd love to hear any of your thoughts, so please send me a review! **

**I would also like to thank my gorgeous beta, TruffleHead. I had never had a beta before, thought I'd try it out, and ended up with the sweet, helpful, and cheerful TruffleHead. I couldn't have gotten a better beta. So, a round of applause for TruffleHead!**

**Until the epilogue, y'all!**


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

All in all, I'd say everything worked out perfectly in the end. I got my Merlin back. What else matters? But really, I was happy, Merlin was happy, and Alex, Morgana, and Gwaine were all happy once we'd told them. Alex was especially thrilled to hear Merlin's side to everything Camelot, and found my ignorance of Merlin's magic back then hilarious. We all got through high school, then college, then separated into the world. Alex quit teaching to write a book on Camelot, Morgana decided to travel the world, and Gwaine became a model.

As for Merlin and myself? We moved back to England, sure that if the world ever needed us, it would need us there. We got a cute house, jobs (just to keep us busy, we didn't need the money), and a dog, Honey.

We're planning a spring wedding.

**A/N: And that's that. Thanks again to all who've read/favorited/followed/reviewed this! It's meant the world to me!**


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